Dr. Albert Gabbay was born in Iran, one of eight children. He completed his university and medical training in Europe and came to Baltimore as an immigrant to begin his residency at Sinai Hospital when he was in his mid-20s.
“At first he wasn’t fluent in English,” says his wife, Wilma Gabbay, “but through his intelligence, ability, and personality, he was able to build one of the largest OB-GYN practices in the area. He succeeded to an incredible degree, and I am astonished at how much he was able to do solely on his own merits.”
Equally impressive, Sinai Hospital was the only hospital at which Albert Gabbay practiced during his more than half-century-long career. “He felt nurtured by Sinai,” Mrs. Gabbay says. “It was a very meaningful place to him.”
Sinai was special to the Gabbays as a couple, too. Both of their daughters were born there.
It makes sense, then, that after Dr. Gabbay’s death in 2013, his family chose to honor his legacy with a significant gift of $100,000 in cash now and the remainder through Mrs. Gabbay’s estate. Because education was of paramount importance in Dr. Gabbay’s life—his father was an Iranian educator who opened schools in Mideast countries—part of the gift will fund simulation education to enable residents to practice their OB-GYN skills.
The Albert Gabbay, M.D., Reception Area was dedicated last spring. The plaque on one of its walls was written by his daughters, Alyssa Gabbay and Suzanne Gabbay.
Mrs. Gabbay recalls that long after doctors had stopped making house calls, her husband made them regularly for a bedridden patient who was struggling with a complicated pregnancy. His wife also remembers the time a patient came to the office for an annual visit, and Dr. Gabbay realized she hadn’t gotten the diagnostic test he had recommended strongly the year before. “He took the patient by the hand and led her directly to the office where she could schedule the procedure.”
Mrs. Gabbay says she is proud of the way her husband conducted himself. “He treated his partners with such dignity and respect. He was very fair and open, and no one ever left the practice—except to retire—because he treated them so kindly. He was extremely honest and above-board. He set a wonderful example to his peers and colleagues about what a doctor should be.”
Daughter Suzanne concurs. “My father was one of the most honest and forthright individuals I have ever known. He felt very strongly about what was right and what was wrong. He didn’t sugarcoat his feelings, and if he was unhappy about something, you knew it. But at the same time, I always knew that his expectations of and for me were no less than what he set for himself. I knew that no matter what, his word meant everything.”
Alyssa says her father “seemed to have the strength and force of personality to will you—or himself, if need be—into health. That was what made him such an effective healer, in my opinion, along with his compassion and competence.”
She also recalls his love of Beethoven, through which he transmitted to her “the idea that sublime harmonies and an exquisite order can exist. In this turbulent world, that is a good idea to have.”