Remembering Paul Glat, MD, 1962-2024
It is with a broken heart that I share the news of the passing of our beloved friend, colleague and mentor, Paul Glat, MD. Dr. Glat passed away on May 22 after a swift battle with leukemia, and a beautiful funeral was held on May 23, attended by a large gathering of his family and friends.
Born in 1962, Dr. Glat grew up in White Plains, N.Y. His feverish pursuit of knowledge and love for learning led him to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in biochemistry from Princeton University, graduating summa cum laude. He attended medical school at New York University (NYU), where he also served as class president. He remained at NYU for his general/plastic surgery residency and concluded his training with a craniofacial fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
In 1998, Dr. Glat joined the faculty of St. Christophers Hospital for Children as chief of plastic surgery and director of the burn unit, where he remained for his entire career. He was a pillar to the burn and wound care community. His writing and clinical research appeared in more than 50 publications, and he was the coordinator of the annual John A. Boswick Burn and Wound Care symposium held in Maui, Hawaii. Dr. Glat was a gifted speaker, delivering presentations throughout the United States, South America, India, Europe and Australia over the course of his career. His passion in medicine was teaching, scientific research and advancement. Even posthumously, Dr. Glat continues this pursuit as, per his wishes, his body was donated to the Anatomy Gifts Registry.
Although Dr. Glat possessed high intellectual merit and exceptional surgical skill, he also possessed a unique ability to connect with others – and touched many lives through his empathy, wit, humility and kindness. If you, like me, were one of the lucky ones to call him a mentor, you know how much he loved his residents and Fellows. His typical greetings of "Helllllooooo" and/or "Wazzzzzzup" quickly evaporated a tough call night's work. He unfailingly demonstrated a first-class ability to find funding for his trainees to attend and present research at meetings and continually proved to be our strongest advocate of wellness. He loved teaching – always wanting Fellows with him during all aspects of patient care, whether that be during a complex cleft/lip palate repair, performing a hair transplant in the office, co-writing a book chapter/research paper at his house or simply taking a break accompanied by an iced tea and/or Diet Coke.
Although Dr. Glat is no longer with us, he will forever remain a profound mentor. The kindness, surgical training and generosity he bestowed upon many of us will permeate into the next generation of plastic surgeons. Dr. Glat, if you have found heavenly shores that resemble the coast of Hawaii and are reading this with a Mai Tai in hand, know that you are missed. Thank you for all that you have done for our specialty, a global practice of patients and for us.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Dr. Paul Glat Scholarship Fund, which will continue to pursue research/advancements in pediatric burn care. More information is available at the Dr. Paul Glat Scholarship Fund.