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Dr. Cluff teaching at the bedside

Dr. Cluff and the Narrative Medicine Club The Undergraduate Medical Humanities and Narrative Medicine Club owes its existence to Dr. Leighton Cluff , a physician dedicated to furthering humane health care.   Dr. Cluff attended book discussions in the UF College of Medicine on books such as Anne Fadimann's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down , and Charles Rosenberg's The Cholera Years .   When Derica Brown, a recent UF graduate, said she wished her undergraduate pre-med curriculum introduced students to conversations on culture, spirituality, and other topics pertaining to the "art" of medicine, Dr. Cluff suggested she create an undergraduate group dedicated to these issues and discussions.   The rest is, as they say, history, although Dr. Cluff continued to show intellectual and financial support of the group until he passed away in April of 2004.   In recognition of his support, and his lifelong work focused on humane care the Club members chose to name their group after Dr. Cluff.
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 10, 1923, Dr Cluff received his medical degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine in 1949. After research training and a 12-year appointment at Johns Hopkins he joined the faculty at the University of Florida COM, where he served as professor and Chair of Medicine for 10 years. He left Florida in 1976 and served as vice president and president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation until 1990 when he returned to Gainesville.   There he served at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center until 1995.   Throughout his career, he worked on public health projects in developing countries, and served as a consultant for the WHO, FDA, Depart of State, and NIH, as well as for the Defense Department on bioterrorism issues. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and edited ten books, including books on long term care, home care, and, most recently, on crises in the physician-patient relationship that he defines as the Lost Art of Caring.   In addition to his wife Beth, he is survived by two daughters, Claudia and Tricia, and two grandchildren. Dr. Cluff's dedication to improving health care systems is clearly described in the memorial by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, "The world of philanthropy has lost a dedicated servant in the field who brought many health care issues to the national forefront and inspired many important careers," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D, MBA, current president and CEO. "We are saddened by Lee's passing, but his contributions will serve as a lasting legacy."   His work at the Foundation is an example of his commitment to social change. He saw the Foundation's grant activity as a way to improve health issues and among the programs he developed were the Chronic Disease Care Program, the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers Program (precursor to Faith in Action) and the AIDS Health Services Program, the first philanthropic action providing care for people with HIV/AIDS, laying the groundwork for the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. Cluff's concern about poor quality care for critically ill patients led to the SUPPORT (Study to Understand Prognoses and Preferences for Outcomes and Risks of Treatments) Project, which inspired the Foundation's decade-long work to build the field of end-of-life care

 

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