Dr. B. Stanley Cohen, a pioneer in rehabilitation medicine who is the former President of Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, is giving back to Sinai with a gift annuity funded with stock holdings that will pay him income for life.
“Gift annuity rates are great right now, and this is a way to support Sinai’s mission and reduce capital-gain tax on my stock holdings,” Dr. Cohen explained of the gift, which qualifies him for the LifeBridge Health Glazer Legacy Society.
The funds that will eventually come to Sinai will be used to support the residency program and to train future physicians in rehabilitation medicine. As a pioneer in the field, Dr. Cohen trained many of today’s leaders in rehabilitation medicine and successfully treated countless patients that suffered from disabling injuries, illnesses, and strokes as well as dozens of Baltimore Orioles baseball players. “I was touched when Jim Palmer thanked me for my work with the Orioles when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Dr. Cohen said.
Dr. Cohen received his M.D. from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1947, at a time when it was extremely difficult for Jewish students to gain admission to medical schools. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Sinai Hospital in 1951; and after practicing for a decade as a member of Sinai’s medical staff, he moved to Dallas to complete a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Baylor University.
25th Annual B. Stanley Cohen, M.D. Honorary Lectureship
Dr. Cohen came back to Sinai in 1965 to start the rehabilitation program—envisioning a unique and comprehensive array of services that included physical, occupational, and speech therapies; nursing, social work, and psychology services; and vocational rehabilitation. He started Sinai’s sports medicine program and also founded the cardiac rehabilitation program, the fitness center, and the vocational services program (VSP).
“I wanted to take the developmentally disabled and those who had strokes and injuries and get them working again,” Dr. Cohen said of his visionary program. He also lectured extensively and served on many state and national councils and boards in his field and was the hospital’s President from 1986 to 1991.
When asked why he feels so strongly about giving back to Sinai Hospital, Dr. Cohen said, “Sinai was always supportive of my plans to establish a comprehensive rehabilitation program even before there was funding for such a program. I am proud of its development into an outstanding treatment and training program, and I want to support the future leaders in physical medicine and rehabilitation.”