It is with great sadness that I write to inform you all that Dean Reginald H. Fitz, M.D. – one of the pioneers in the creation of the UNM School of Medicine and the school’s first dean – passed away on May 28, 2013.

Dean Fitz served as the school’s first dean from 1961 to 1968. He was a pioneer and a visionary who made the critical decisions as the School of Medicine was being organized that have allowed us to evolve into the nationally recognized institution that we are today. He understood the challenges facing the faculty in creating a new medical school in a rural, resource-scarce state like New Mexico, yet he also knew the needs of the state’s residents to have accessible, quality health care.

Dean Fitz received a B.A. and his M.D. in Internal Medicine from Harvard. He completed his residency at the University of Colorado and practiced on the faculty there before coming to New Mexico. Both his grandfather and father had been deans of Harvard Medical School. With this heritage and an innovative vision, he was uniquely qualified to help create a medical school integrating basic and clinical education.

Dean Fitz lived in Vermont at the time of his death. His family will be joining us in the future for a memorial service here on campus.