Mark S. Blumberg, M.D.

November 16, 1924 -- March 10, 2019

Mark was born on November 16, 1924 in New York City. He attended Johns Hopkins University and Harvard College. He earned his D.M.D. in 1944 at the Harvard Dental School, and in the summer of 1948 he volunteered on the Grenfell Medical Mission, in Harrington Harbour, Quebec, Canada working as a dentist with the native Inuit population. Mark finished his medical training at the Harvard Medical School earning his M.D. in 1950.

Following his medical internship he served as an operations analyst in the Army Operations Research Group and Johns Hopkins University and then conducted planning and evaluation projects on occupational and other health subjects as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service in Washington, D.C..

Mark then moved to California to work at

SRI (Stanford Research Institute) for ten years as Director of Health Economics Research. In 1966 he moved to Oakland, CA and worked as Director of Health Planning, office of the president, at the University of California and conducted studies of the supply and demand for health service professionals. From 1970, until his formal retirement in 1994, Mark was Director of Special Studies for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Oakland, CA.

In 1998, building on his experience with risk adjusted outcomes studies, Dr. Blumberg co-founded TruRisk, L.L.C. and served as Chief Scientist. He was the co-inventor of 5 U.S. patents for more accurate evaluation of risk for health insurers.

During Mark’s 70-year professional career in health and medical care as a researcher, scientist and director, his dozens of published papers and professional activities put him at the forefront of a number of methodologies, concepts and policies. He is best known for his risk adjusted outcome studies related to assessing quality of care. He summed up his career title as epidemiologist. He was elected a member of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, in 1980.

Mark’s insatiable, wide ranging curiosity and lifelong love of learning were evident until his death.

Mark is survived by his wife of 44 years, Elizabeth; his stepson Peter Conner; his children Bart (David) and Eve (Luise); and his grandchildren Jonathan and Delaney. He was predeceased by his first wife, Luba Monasevitch (m. 1952 div. 1970), his father, Sydney N., and mother, Mollie. Mark died peacefully with his family on March 10, 2019.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Saint Paul Towers, 100 Bay Place, Oakland, on April 15th at 2:00 PM.