Dr. Barry Materson May 17, 1938 - September 21, 2023
Winter Park, Florida - Barry J. Materson, MD, “Doc Frog”, 85, a renowned nephrologist and educator, passed away on Thursday, September 21, 2023. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to June Slakoff Materson and Alfred Materson. He grew up in Miami, Florida, where he led a long and distinguished career in medicine before moving to Winter Park to be closer to family.
Dr. Materson graduated from the University of Miami in 1959 with a degree in chemistry and went on to medical school, where he graduated in 1962 and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He interned at Los Angeles County Hospital, where he met his wife, Biruta. In 1963, he joined the United States Air Force Medical Corps as a commissioned first lieutenant and was quickly promoted to captain.
After his service, Dr. Materson returned to Miami as a resident at Jackson Memorial Hospital and went on to become a senior resident and fellow in nephrology at the Miami Veterans Administration Hospital. He later earned an MBA from the University of Miami (May 1993), where he graduated as valedictorian of his class.
Dr. Materson returned to his alma mater, where he became a senior professor of medicine (tenured) and worked in a variety of roles, including medical director for managed care, University of Miami Medical Group. From 1969 to 1995, he worked at the Miami Veterans Administration Hospital, where he retired as the associate chief of staff for education. He was an attending physician at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the University of Miami Medical Center.
Over his lifetime, Dr. Materson received many honors and awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Consortium of Southeastern Hypertension Control in 2020, Best Doctors in America 20112012, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Miami School of Medicine in 2004. He was listed many times in Who’s Who in medicine, education, and healthcare. He served as a mentor to many students and colleagues and received a Mentoring Award in 2015 from the Department of Medicine at the University of Miami. Additionally, he was a member of the Iron Arrow Leadership Society and held several fellowships, including The Council of High Blood Pressure Research, American Society of Hypertension, and the American Heart Association.
Dr. Materson was passionate about research and wrote or contributed to over 200 publications, nearly 40 book chapters, and several teaching videos.
Dr. Materson loved his family dearly and was an amazing father, husband, brother, grandfather, and friend. He had a delightful sense of humor, which he often shared with others. Over the years, he chronicled vacations, family reunions, and other life events in a newsletter he called The Kendall Trombone Gazette.
Dr. Materson is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Biruta Donins Materson; his daughters, Sandra (Eddie) Vidal and Debra (Marty) Materson; his five grandchildren, Alexa, Adrianna, Nathan, Jay, and Ava; and his sister, Suzanne Bottorff.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Dr. Barry Materson Endowed Feature Speaker Series in the Division Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Miami, Westminster Towers Winter Park, or one of the two food banks he supported, Second Harvest of Central Florida or Feeding South Florida.