Obituary of Robert Dorrance Kalter MD

Dr. Robert Kalter passed away from pancreatic cancer at White Plains Hospital. He was loved and respected by his family, friends, and colleagues.

He was raised on Long Island, the son of Henry Kalter, a doctor who had fled Nazi Germany as a young man, and Rose Dorrance Kalter, the principal of PS 133 in Queens for many years.

Bob graduated from Columbia University magna cum laude​​​ in 1967 and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971. He interned at Pennsylvania Hospital and then served in the US Public Health Service as a commissioned officer. From 1974-1976, he completed an Anatomic Pathology residency at Cornell and then, from 1976 to 1978, a Clinical Pathology residency at Downstate.

His first full position was as Assistant Director with the New York Blood Center (1978-1981). He went on to become an esteemed and trusted pathologist, serving in a number of capacities, including as Chief of Clinical Pathology at NYU Winthrop Hospital (1981-1992), Chairman of Pathology at The Brooklyn Hospital Center (1992-2000), Director of the Blood Bank at NYU Lutheran Medical Center (2000-2015), and as a pathologist at Maimonides Medical Center (2000-2020)—first as Chief, then as Chairman, of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and finally as a Consulting Pathologist. After retirement, he continued to work as a per diem pathologist for Northwell Health Laboratories (2020-2022).

Bob’s colleagues knew him as an especially dedicated doctor. He was certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, Blood Banking, and Immunopathology, and he voluntarily recertified with the American Board of Pathology in 1997 and 2008. A fellow medical professional recently described him as “the most complete pathologist I have ever known.” He was valued as a mentor to many young physicians, and in retirement, he volunteered to teach in medical school pathology labs.

In addition to his professional pursuits, Bob was known and loved for his passionate interest and deep knowledge in history, philosophy, science, and the arts. He was an avid reader of everything from ancient Roman history to the fiction of Marcel Proust. And friends and colleagues alike will remember his wit—what Ken Gibbs, President of Maimonides Hospital, called his “dry and playful sense of humor.”

Bob adored his family and friends. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle, always present to debate, tease, and offer advice, and interested in everyone around him.

He is survived by his wife Nancy Glass, his children Jeffrey and Julie Kalter, his son-in-law Dave Turner, his grandchild Miles Turner, and his brother-in-law David Glass, as well as his sister Joanmarie Kalter, his nephew Gram Hill, and his niece Faith Hill.

Donations can be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he was treated, or to Gilda’s Club of Westchester.

A funeral service will be held at Larchmont Temple (75 Larchmont Ave.) at 11am on Friday June 17th. Family and friends who are unable to attend the service in person may watch via livestream at:

http://larchlink.pub/live