Jules Cohen ’53, ’57M (MD), ’59M (Res)

An alumnus and faculty member whose Rochester connections span six decades, Dr. Jules Cohen is a professor of medicine and cardiology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Retired from his full-time clinical cardiology practice, he continues to consult, mentor, research, and teach. Dr. Cohen is widely known for his research on the factors contributing to heart disease and for his extensive studies of cardiac hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy, and oxygen transport.

Dr. Cohen earned his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in 1953 from the University of Rochester and four years later received his medical degree, with honor, from the School of Medicine and Dentistry. After completing his internship at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, he returned to Strong Memorial Hospital for his residency and one year of postdoctoral training in hematology. Dr. Cohen spent the next two years as a research associate at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and went on to London to complete his cardiology training at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School. In 1963, he began teaching at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, rising over the next 10 years from an instructor to full professorship. As a faculty member, Dr. Cohen played a key role in creating a robust research facility, securing NIH funding to expand his laboratory research program.

After 13 years on the cardiology faculty, Dr. Cohen was named physician-in-chief at Rochester General Hospital. In 1982, Dr. Cohen returned to the School of Medicine and Dentistry to serve as the senior associate dean for medical education. Over the next 15 years, he led a major revision of the medical school curriculum. Dr. Cohen has focused his work in recent years on medical education and public policy, including a four-year post, working with Karen Pryor, as co-director of the Health Professions Public Service Program.

Dr. Cohen has been a member of the School of Medicine and Dentistry Alumni Council since 2011. Praised by fellow alumni and professional peers, Dr. Cohen has received the Gold Medal Award from the University of Rochester Medical Alumni Association, the Marvin J. Hoffman Award for Faculty Mentoring, and the Albert David Kaiser Medal, which is the Rochester Academy of Medicine’s highest honor. Dr. Cohen belongs to several academic and professional organizations, including Alpha Omega Alpha, the American Federation for Clinical Research, the American Medical Association, the Rochester Academy of Medicine, and the Royal Society of Medicine.

Dr. Cohen and his wife, Doris, live in Rochester and have three grown children and seven grandchildren.