William L. Lasswell Jr. MD’89, PhD, 73, died May 4. He was an endocrinologist in Vero Beach, FL.
Dr. Lasswell, affectionately known as Bill, earned his bachelor’s in chemistry at Florida State and then a PhD in natural products chemistry at the University of Mississippi in 1977. After completing an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Kentucky, he joined the faculty of the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy as an assistant professor in 1978.
Six years later, Dr. Lasswell received an Army scholarship to study at Brown’s medical school. After graduation he trained at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and continued to serve in the Army until 1998. He practiced endocrinol- ogy in the Treasure Coast community until his retirement in 2023.
Known as a compassionate physician, wonderful husband, and amazing father, Dr. Lasswell’s passion for life inspired everyone around him. His home improvement projects showcased his talent for turning ideas into reality. He also enjoyed reading, traveling, and more than anything in the world, his family’s company. Dr. Lasswell is survived by his wife of almost 50 years, Anita; two daughters; and his older sister.
Joseph A. Chazan, MD, 89, died July 26. He was a nephrologist and clinical professor emeritus of medicine at Brown.
Born in Rochester, NY, Dr. Chazan graduated from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine, where he met his late wife, Helene, on a blind date. After residency and nephrology training at Boston City Hospital, the New England Medical Center, and Beth Israel Hospital, he served in the US Public Health Service in Birmingham, AL.
Dr. Chazan, who joined Brown’s faculty in 1967, developed and initiated the kidney dialysis program at Rhode Island Hospital. He served for many years as the director of renal diseases at The Miriam, Memorial, and Rhode Island hospitals. In 1973, he established the first free-standing dialysis clinic in Rhode Island; he went on to open eight more clinics in the state and two in Massachusetts. He was also governor of the state chapter of the American College of Physicians. In 2013, the American Kidney Fund honored Dr. Chazan with its national Caregiver of the Year award.
Proud of his Jewish heritage, Dr. Chazan was a member and supporter of Temple Beth-El for more than 60 years, serving as president and a trustee. A longtime art collec- tor, he highlighted the work of contemporary local artists through initiatives such as public art placements and production of the NetWorks multimedia visual arts project documenting the work of more than 100 accomplished Rhode Island artists. He was a trustee and committee member at RISD, and he and Helene donated much of their collection to more than 40 museums. The couple supported numerous local arts organizations and educational institutions, and established a scholarship fund for University at Buffalo medical students. Dr. Chazan’s recognitions included the Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts, an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Rhode Island College, and the RISD President’s Medal of Honor.
Dr. Chazan was predeceased by his beloved wife of 47 years, Helene, and is survived by his devoted partner, Vicki Veh; three children and their spouses; nine grandchildren and spouses; and three great-grandchildren. Donations in his memory may be made to Temple Beth-El of Providence, the Visual Arts Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation, and WaterFire Providence.
Vincent Pera Jr. RES’87, MD, 68, died Aug. 3. He was a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Brown.
Raised in Warwick, RI, Dr. Pera majored in biology and music at Providence College. After graduating from St. George’s University School of Medicine, he completed his residency in internal medicine at The Miriam Hospital and a fellowship in bariatric medicine at the Providence VA Medical Center. He served for many years as the director of the Weight and Wellness Institute in Cranston, and was highly respected by his colleagues, associates, and his many patients.
Dr. Pera and his wife of 30 years, Jen, traveled all over the world, often with friends and relatives. They also enjoyed dining and dancing at the Dunes Club and University Club. An accomplished pianist, Dr. Pera loved to fill a room with beautiful music for family and friends. He played all types of music, and especially enjoyed listening to jazz.
He is survived by his wife; her siblings; a niece and nephew; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and godchildren. Donations in his memory may be made to the Erik R. Laisi Memorial Scholarship Fund at St. Andrew’s School in Barrington.
Lundy Braun, PhD, 77, died Aug. 9. She was a professor emerita of medical science and of Africana studies at Brown. Professor Braun earned her bachelor’s at Skidmore College and PhD in pathobiology at Johns Hopkins. She came to Brown in 1982 as a postdoctoral fellow in pathology and laboratory medicine. In 1987, she was appointed assistant professor of medical science in that department; in 2002, she received a secondary appointment in the Department of Africana Studies. Her research and teaching focused on the history of race in public health, medicine, and technology, particularly how biological understandings of race have been produced historically and how they obscure the structural causes of health inequality.
In the course of her career at Brown, Professor Braun co-founded the Program in Science, Technology, and Society; served as director of undergraduate studies in the Africana studies department and helped shape its doctoral program; and taught popular courses on health, race, and structural inequality at the Medical School. At the time of her retirement in 2023, she was co-leading the Race, Medicine, and Social Justice research cluster at the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice. In 2014, Professor Braun published Breathing Race into the Machine: The Surprising Career of the Spirometer from Plantation to Genetics, which outlined the racialization of the technology for measuring lung capacity from slavery through contemporary times. She received the Ludwig Fleck Award and honorable mention for the Rachel Carson Prize in recognition of this work. A beloved teacher and mentor, she received numerous awards from the University and the Medical School.
Professor Braun will be remembered for her passionate scholarship, contributions to the field, and the impact she had on scores of Brown students. She is survived by her husband, John Trimbur, PhD; their two daughters including Catherine Trimbur, MD, assistant professor of medicine, clinician educator; three grandchildren including Rebecca Husband ’96; and her extended family and colleagues at Brown. Donations in her memory may be made to Doctors Without Borders or the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.
Steven M. Opal, MD, 74, died Aug. 25. He was a clinical professor of medicine at Brown. Dr. Opal grew up in upstate New York and graduated from Cornell and Albany Medical College. After completing an infectious diseases fellowship as well as tropical medicine training at Walter Reed in 1982, he led the Infectious Disease Service at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, CO, for three years before joining Brown’s medical faculty and the Division of Infectious Diseases at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island. Recognized throughout his career as a master educator, Dr. Opal received more than a dozen Teacher of the Year awards from Fitzsimmons, Brown, and Memorial Hospital. He retired from Brown in 2022.
In a memorial reflection in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, Alan S. Cross, MD, in whose lab Dr. Opal trained at Walter Reed, wrote of his protégé: “Steve was at the forefront of basic and translational endotoxin and sepsis research over the last three decades. … With his innovative laboratory studies, he made many seminal observations in support of the many novel therapies that were being brought to the clinic.” As a leader in the sepsis field, Dr. Opal held leadership positions in national and international committees, including the International Sepsis Forum and the International Forum for Acute Care Trialists, and helped organize numerous sep- sis conferences. He later opened the Ocean State Clinical Coordinating Center, shepherding potential treatments for sepsis and infectious diseases through clinical trials.
A prolific writer, editor, and speaker on sepsis and infectious diseases, toward the end of his career Dr. Opal coauthored several op-eds with this son, the historian Jason M. Opal, PhD, offering historical perspectives on disease outbreaks. Dr. Opal is survived by his wife of 53 years, Kasy; two sons; four grandchildren; and a brother and two sisters.
Robert D. Meringolo ’65, MD, 80, died Nov. 5. He was a clinical associate professor emeritus of medicine at Brown. Born in New York City, Dr. Meringolo earned his AB in human biology at Brown and his MD at Jefferson Medical College. After residency and cardiology fellowship at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York, he served in the US Public Health Service in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and in Vietnam. In 1976, Dr. Meringolo joined Brown’s faculty and started in private practice at Providence Cardiology. For more than 30 years he was active in cardiac care unit and medical ward teaching rounds, as well as bedside and cath lab teaching; he received several teaching awards over the years from The Miriam Hospital and Brown. He was also a staff physician and then medical director at RISD.
During his career, Dr. Meringolo volunteered at the Washington Free Clinic in Georgetown and at the Rhode Island Free Clinic in Providence. After retiring from clinical duties in 2016, he continued to teach residents and fellows, and served as a facilitator in the Medical School’s second- year cardiology course.
Dr. Meringolo is survived by his wife, Debra; two children; two stepchildren; five grandchildren; his brother; two nieces; and dear friends.
Alexander S. Brodsky, PhD, 54, died Nov. 12. He was an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine (research) at Brown.
Professor Brodsky earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Pennsylvania and his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School, where he discovered mechanisms of mRNA export, he joined the molecular biology, cell biology, and biochemistry faculty at Brown in 2005. He was also affili- ated faculty in the Center for Genomics and Proteomics and Center for Computational Molecular Biology. In 2019, he moved to Rhode Island Hospital, where he joined the pathology department and the Legorreta Cancer Center.
Professor Brodsky’s research focused on understanding which tumors respond to chemotherapy and which do not. He advanced the biology of collagens and the extracellular matrix in cancer, demonstrating that large-scale analysis of proteins and collagens in a tumor greatly improves the prediction of patient survival and therapy options. His lab was among the first to compare the expression of mRNAs and microRNAs in primary and metastatic ovarian tumors, identifying primary tumors with metastatic-like attributes that require more aggressive treatment to improve patient outcomes.
He is survived by his wife, Adina, and many family members, friends, and colleagues.
Adam Fayez Fayad ’22 MD’26, 24, died Dec. 11. A native of Saratoga, CA, he concentrated in public health as a student of the Program in Liberal Medical Education. He also served as a Meiklejohn adviser as an undergraduate.
Adam demonstrated an early interest in cardiology as a potential specialty, participating in the pre-clerkship elective “Introduction to Cardiology” as well as various cardiac imaging-related research projects within the radiology department. He was a talented researcher whom his mentor described as a “model student and a budding academic powerhouse,” who impressed those around him with his unwavering enthusiasm and brilliance. As a second-year student, he co-led the Medical Arabic and Medical Persian pre-clerkship electives.
Back in California, Adam was a dedicated member of the Shia Association of the Bay Area Islamic Center, its Sunday School, and youth program. He touched the lives of all those who had the privilege of knowing him. Adam will be remem- bered for his engaging personality, dedication to serving his community, and the big hugs he gave to his friends.
