Renowned radiologist, medical professor had gift for teaching
Pittsburgh was lucky to have Dr. Carl Fuhrman.
A renowned radiologist and award-winning educator, clinician and researcher, Dr. Fuhrman could have worked anywhere in the world but chose to make his home in Pittsburgh, where he served as chief of thoracic radiology and a medical school professor at UPMC for the past 27 years.
“He was probably the best teacher in our profession,” said his longtime colleague and friend Dr. Jules Sumkin, chairman of the UPMC Radiology Department.
Dr. Fuhrman, 67, of Edgewood, died June 27 of a heart attack while he was working at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital.
He was there that Saturday reading scans and preparing for a new batch of radiology interns who were expected to begin July 1, said his sister, Barbara Pugel.
“He was responsible for the radiology program, so I’m sure he was working to get things ready,” said Mrs. Pugel, a nurse from Cleveland. “He really, really loved his job.”
Her brother’s devotion to his vocation and his impact on a generation of radiologists can hardly be overstated.
“He loved teaching,” his sister said. “His students would tell him that they always learned something new every time they were with him. He never put any of his students down or ridiculed anyone for a mistake. He was always positive.”
“I can’t tell you how many people said, ‘I went into radiology because of Carl,’ including my son-in-law,” Dr. Sumkin said.
Dr. Fuhrman grew up in Erie with three older sisters and parents who worked hard to provide an education for their children.
“Our parents never had a lot, but they scrimped and saved to send us to private schools,” Mrs. Pugel said.
“My brother was always at the top of his class. We used to laugh and say he got all the brains.”
Dr. Fuhrman graduated from Cathedral Prep School in 1970 and won an academic scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in 1974.
He went on to Pitt’s School of Medicine, where he was awarded the James D. Heard Senior Prize in Medicine as the top student in his senior class.
Dr. Fuhrman graduated cum laude in 1979 and found himself drawn to radiology as a specialty.
“He was a very detailed person,” his sister said. “He liked the challenge of the unknown and that’s what he felt radiology was, because you really have to dig for reasons and for causes.”
Dr. Fuhrman completed a residency in diagnostic radiology in 1983 and began teaching as an assistant professor in radiology the same year.
He immediately found a special gift for it, being voted by the students in 1985 as Teacher of the Year. He was made a full professor in 1994.
Dr. Fuhrman, who was the director of undergraduate medical education at Pitt, was a nine-time winner of the Golden Apple award, given by students to the top medical school professor.
“Radiology isn’t even a part of the basic curriculum in the medical school, so for someone like him to win that award nine times is truly extraordinary,” Dr. Sumkin said. “It was just unheard of.”
He was recognized 15 times with the Ronald J. Hoy Excellence in Teaching Award in radiology — so many times that the prize, given by residents, was renamed in Dr. Fuhrman’s honor in 2016.
Dr. Fuhrman also was voted by his peers at the Association of University Radiologists as top teacher of the year in 2013, and he was bestowed with the President’s Distinguished Teaching Award by the office of the provost at Pitt.
“He had this encyclopedic knowledge of radiology in particular, and about medicine in general and he had a photographic memory, but his true passion and gift was in teaching,” Dr. Sumkin said. “He was just a born teacher.”
As his network of disciples and sphere of influence expanded, Dr. Fuhrman was frequently in demand as a keynote speaker at conferences throughout the world, Dr. Sumkin said.
Dr. Fuhrman was especially fond of Turkey and South Africa, and recently spoke at conferences in Spain and China.
A man of simple tastes, Dr. Fuhrman lived in a modest home and rarely spent money on possessions.
His one indulgence was his beloved 1971 Corvette, a white convertible with red interior.
“It was pristine. You had to have gloves on just to touch it,” his sister said, laughing. “He only drove it a few times a year and people always stopped him to ask about it.”
Also a confirmed bachelor, Dr. Fuhrman often volunteered to work holidays so that his co-workers could spend time with their families.
“I can truly say that he was married to his work and his work was his life,” Dr. Sumkin said. “I can remember so many days just walking into the department and he would always be there. He would sometimes stand in the lobby early in the morning, just watching the dawn over the city. It’s a tremendous loss to the profession, to the department and to many of us personally.”
Along with his sister, Dr. Fuhrman is survived by his other sisters, Mary McIlroy, of Huntingdon, Pa., and Carol Hagen, of Tucson, Ariz.
Friends are invited to attend a funeral Mass at St. Luke Church, 421 E. 38th St., Erie, on Thursday at 11 a.m. COVID-19 social distancing and face covering guidelines will be enforced. Private interment will be at Calvary Cemetery.
A memorial service is planned for July 15 at noon, outside of UPMC Presbyterian.
Memorial donations are suggested to the Carl Fuhrman Radiology Education Fund, Division of Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement, UPMC/University of Pittsburgh, 128 N. Craig St., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.