FEBRUARY 24 • 2022 | 31

NO REGRETS PURSUING 
FAMILY MEDICINE
Zazove said he made the right 
choice going into family med-
icine. His work has allowed 
him to follow patients and 
their health through the years.
“Getting to know patients 
and their families well, and 
caring for entire families from 
birth to death, has been so 
rewarding,
” he said. “The feed-
back from patients … is heart-
warming. I know all family 
docs have similar experiences, 
as witnessed by many of the 
stories I hear from them.
”
In retirement, Zazove said 
he plans to enjoy time with his 
wife, two daughters, who are 
both CEOs of their own com-
panies, and his four grandchil-
dren. He will continue to be 
active in the sports he loves — 
including cross-country skiing 
in the winter and kayaking 
and swimming in the summer 
— and enjoying his dogs, of 
which there have been eight 
over the years. 
He also plans to finish 
two books he’s been work-
ing on, one featuring a deaf 
detective and another about 
his grandmother, who emi-
grated from Russia in the 
late 19th century and was a 
leader in the Ladies Garment 
Workers Union of America. 
Additionally, he wants to 
devote more time and effort 
to the Louise Tumarkin 
Zazove Foundation, which 
was established in memory of 
his mother. This 19-year-old 
foundation provides four-
year, $3,800 annual college 
scholarships to individuals 
who are deaf and hard of 
hearing.

SUPPORT WELL PLACED
George Dean, now in his 
90s, was instrumental in 
creating the Department of 
Family Medicine at U-M 
in 1978. He also helped 
establish Family Medicine 

Departments at other 
Michigan universities and 
played a critical role in 
advocating for the recogni-
tion of Family Medicine as a 
vital component of the over-
all health care landscape. 
Dean, who practiced fam-
ily medicine in Southfield, 
said he developed a close 
relationship with Zazove in 
the time that Zazove was 
department chair. 
“He is a magnificent 
example of someone who 
has overcome a disability 
and become chair of one of 
the best Family Medicine 
departments in the coun-
try,” he said. “Very quietly 
and very unassumingly, 
Phil has been able to create 
this wonderful department 
and advanced the need for 
disabled people to receive 
excellent health care. He has 
gone above and beyond his 
duties as chairman. I can’t 
speak more highly about 
what he has created.”
Dean also throws his 
full support behind the 
establishment of the Philip 
Zazove, M.D. Disability 
Health Endowment and 
encourages others to con-
tribute to the fund.
“The endowment per-
petuates the leadership that 
Phil has shown in disability 
health, and I think that is so 
important today,” said Dean. 
“He’s a perfect role model” 
as a family physician who 
cares for all patients with 
kindness and compassion.
To contribute to the 
Philip Zazove Disability 
Health Endowment Fund, 
contact Amy St. Amour at 
astamour@med.umich.edu. 
Donations can also be made 
here: victors.us/zazove. 

Elizabeth Katz is a science commu-

nicator in the Department of Family 

Medicine at the University of Michigan 

and has written healthcare stories for 

the Detroit Jewish News.

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