Philip S. Cifarelli
Encyclopedia
Philip S. Cifarelli, M.D.
, J.D.
(July 18, 1935 – April 2, 2008) was an American physician
and attorney
in Orange County, California
who established a legal medicine bioethics educational program at the Western University of Health Sciences
in Pomona, California
, formerly COMP.
home on July 18, 1935. The son of an Italian immigrant father, Dr. Cifarelli spent his youth in Jackson Heights, New York. In 1952 at 16 years of age he entered the Mens Light-Heavyweight Division of the Golden Gloves
Boxing league where he earned an impressive winning record over a short boxing career in which he was never knocked down and lost only one bout. Throughout his young adulthood Dr. Cifarelli spent time working in the Roman Bronze Works foundry, the oldest and longest running foundry in America, in Brooklyn, New York, which was owned and operated by his maternal uncle and which produced some of the most notable bronze sculptures of the 20th Century, including the Heisman Trophy
, the statue of Thomas Jefferson
in the Jefferson Memorial
in Washington, D.C., the Iwo-Jima Memorial In Washington, D.C., the statue of Atlas
at Rockefeller Center
, New York and many other iconic pieces. It was there where Dr. Cifarelli developed an interest in bronze sculpture that lasted throughout his lifetime.
while working nights as an attendant at the famed Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, where he developed a life-long love of opera. His honors for academic achievement included earning a Departmental Medal in Biology which was presented to him by William Zeckendorf
. A natural linguist, Dr. Cifarelli read, wrote and spoke four languages. He spoke two different dialect's of Italian and understood and was semi-conversational in Latin. He was so proficient in French that after his first year of studies in college he became the preferred student-substitute for French class at all levels on campus. He went on to attend medical school at Georgetown University
in Washington, D.C.
On a visit home during medical school he met Jean Abitabile, a New York native, whom he later married. After graduating from Georgetown, Dr. Cifarelli returned to New York City where he practiced medicine for several years, working with well-known New York physicians including Dr. Philip A. LoPresti. During this period Dr. Cifarelli, in collaboration with others, became involved developing and testing the gastroscope, the medical device now commonly used to screen patients for colon cancer. Dr. Cifarelli earned his reputation as one of the pioneers of the medical specialty of Gastroenterology working in many hospitals in Brooklyn and Queens, N.Y. including St. Mary's Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. where he founded the Gastroenterology Clinic and served as Chief of the Department.
for physicians in the military, Dr. Cifarelli voluntarily enlisted in the United States Army
. He served in Vietnam from 1966 through 1967, attaining the rank of Captain and serving as Chief of Medicine at the 67th Evac. Hospital in QuiNan, Vietnam. He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Letter of Commendation for his service during the war.
Dr. Cifarelli's respect and admiration for military service never faded. In 1982 he re-joined the Army, in its reserve unit as a Lt. Colonel. Two years later he attained the rank of full Colonel
and continued to serve in the U.S. Army Reserves Medical Corps through most of the 1990s. During that period he was named Chief of Medicine and later Commander of the 349th General Hospital in Los Angeles, a unit called to serve in the Persian Gulf War
. He also commanded the 458th MASH Unit and later served as a Consultant to the U.S. Army Surgeon General, obtaining a top secret clearance at the Pentagon. As the millennium arrived Dr. Cifarelli finally retired from the military.
aka "the Great Imposter," who was serving as the hospital's chaplain. Recognizing that Demara did not appear to have any family or close relationships, Dr. Cifarelli began regularly inviting Demara to family gatherings at his home. As Chief of Staff, Dr. Cifarelli was also instrumental in helping secure for Demara a place to live in the hospital, where Demara later died. In the 1970s Dr. Cifarelli began teaching clinical medicine at U.C. Irvine Medical School and legal medical subjects at COMP. He ultimately attained the rank of full clinical professor at UCI Medical School and at COMP and held those positions until his death. In 1979 he was named in the First Edition of "The Best Doctors of America."
issues. He later moved his law practice to Santa Ana and continued to practice law for several years, joined in the late 1980s by his oldest son Philip C. Cifarelli, J.D.
issues on behalf of terminally ill patients seeking the right to die with dignity and the physicians who treat them. Always driven by a love of education and philosophy, Dr. Cifarelli became actively involved with the American College of Legal Medicine, educating practicing physicians and attorneys about cutting edge issues involving Bio-Ethics and the right to death with dignity. He ascended to the rank of President of the American College of Legal Medicine in 2005 and was honored with the organization's Gold Medal for lifetime achievement in March 2008. At COMP Dr. Cifarelli established the school's first Legal Medicine
Ethics
program in 1978 and taught generations of physicians about the ethical and legal issues doctors face on a daily basis in their care of patients including the terminally ill. Dr. Cifarelli truly loved teaching and his 29 years of lecturing at COMP provided him much joy. In his legal practice Dr. Cifarelli successfully represented many physicians being investigated by the State Medical Board for following patients' wishes and providing advanced end-of-life care to terminally ill and suffering patients. Dr. Cifarelli also promoted awareness of these subjects through his active leadership in the American College of Legal Medicine.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(July 18, 1935 – April 2, 2008) was an American physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
who established a legal medicine bioethics educational program at the Western University of Health Sciences
Western University of Health Sciences
Western University of Health Sciences is a non-profit, private, graduate school for the health professions. The university campus includes 11 major buildings on in downtown Pomona, California....
in Pomona, California
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
, formerly COMP.
Early life
Dr. Cifarelli was born in his parent's New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
home on July 18, 1935. The son of an Italian immigrant father, Dr. Cifarelli spent his youth in Jackson Heights, New York. In 1952 at 16 years of age he entered the Mens Light-Heavyweight Division of the Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
Boxing league where he earned an impressive winning record over a short boxing career in which he was never knocked down and lost only one bout. Throughout his young adulthood Dr. Cifarelli spent time working in the Roman Bronze Works foundry, the oldest and longest running foundry in America, in Brooklyn, New York, which was owned and operated by his maternal uncle and which produced some of the most notable bronze sculptures of the 20th Century, including the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
, the statue of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
in the Jefferson Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father and the third President of the United States....
in Washington, D.C., the Iwo-Jima Memorial In Washington, D.C., the statue of Atlas
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a map of Earth or a region of Earth, but there are atlases of the other planets in the Solar System. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats...
at Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
, New York and many other iconic pieces. It was there where Dr. Cifarelli developed an interest in bronze sculpture that lasted throughout his lifetime.
Education and Early Medical Career
Dr. Cifarelli showed very little ability or interest in academics during his schooling through high school. Rather, he interacted with a "tough crowd" often getting into many physical confrontations all the way through high school—he barely graduated and had numerous disciplinary issues. Consequently, the high school guidance counselor recommended Cifarelli pursue a career involving manual labor and upon graduation gave him an application to the Sanitation Department for the City of New York. This clearly was a turning point in Cifarelli's life and was the beginning of a life-long pursuit of education and knowledge. Upon graduation from high school Cifarelli did not have high enough grades for general admission to college. Instead, he was allowed to enroll in two college courses on a probationary status during the summer immediately following high school graduation. He earned straight A's in the courses and was accepted into the University; within one year his performance earned him an academic scholarship. Dr. Cifarelli majored in Biology at Long Island UniversityLong Island University
Long Island University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution of higher education in the U.S. state of New York.-History:...
while working nights as an attendant at the famed Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, where he developed a life-long love of opera. His honors for academic achievement included earning a Departmental Medal in Biology which was presented to him by William Zeckendorf
William Zeckendorf
William Zeckendorf, Sr. was a prominent American real estate developer. Through his development company Webb and Knapp – for which he began working in 1938 and which he purchased in 1949 – he developed a significant portion of the New York City urban landscape.-Career:Zeckendorf's...
. A natural linguist, Dr. Cifarelli read, wrote and spoke four languages. He spoke two different dialect's of Italian and understood and was semi-conversational in Latin. He was so proficient in French that after his first year of studies in college he became the preferred student-substitute for French class at all levels on campus. He went on to attend medical school at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
On a visit home during medical school he met Jean Abitabile, a New York native, whom he later married. After graduating from Georgetown, Dr. Cifarelli returned to New York City where he practiced medicine for several years, working with well-known New York physicians including Dr. Philip A. LoPresti. During this period Dr. Cifarelli, in collaboration with others, became involved developing and testing the gastroscope, the medical device now commonly used to screen patients for colon cancer. Dr. Cifarelli earned his reputation as one of the pioneers of the medical specialty of Gastroenterology working in many hospitals in Brooklyn and Queens, N.Y. including St. Mary's Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. where he founded the Gastroenterology Clinic and served as Chief of the Department.
Military Service - Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War
In 1966, recognizing the dire need created by the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
for physicians in the military, Dr. Cifarelli voluntarily enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He served in Vietnam from 1966 through 1967, attaining the rank of Captain and serving as Chief of Medicine at the 67th Evac. Hospital in QuiNan, Vietnam. He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Letter of Commendation for his service during the war.
Dr. Cifarelli's respect and admiration for military service never faded. In 1982 he re-joined the Army, in its reserve unit as a Lt. Colonel. Two years later he attained the rank of full Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and continued to serve in the U.S. Army Reserves Medical Corps through most of the 1990s. During that period he was named Chief of Medicine and later Commander of the 349th General Hospital in Los Angeles, a unit called to serve in the Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. He also commanded the 458th MASH Unit and later served as a Consultant to the U.S. Army Surgeon General, obtaining a top secret clearance at the Pentagon. As the millennium arrived Dr. Cifarelli finally retired from the military.
Move to California
In December 1970 Dr. Cifarelli moved his wife and four children to California where his medical career flourished. Through the 1970s and 1980s Dr. Cifarelli served as Chief of Medicine and Chief of Staff at several Orange County hospitals including Good Samaritan Hospital in Anaheim, California. At Good Samaritan in 1978 Dr. Cifarelli met and befriended Ferdinand Waldo DemaraFerdinand Waldo Demara
Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Jr. , known as "the Great Impostor", masqueraded as many people from monks to surgeons to prison wardens...
aka "the Great Imposter," who was serving as the hospital's chaplain. Recognizing that Demara did not appear to have any family or close relationships, Dr. Cifarelli began regularly inviting Demara to family gatherings at his home. As Chief of Staff, Dr. Cifarelli was also instrumental in helping secure for Demara a place to live in the hospital, where Demara later died. In the 1970s Dr. Cifarelli began teaching clinical medicine at U.C. Irvine Medical School and legal medical subjects at COMP. He ultimately attained the rank of full clinical professor at UCI Medical School and at COMP and held those positions until his death. In 1979 he was named in the First Edition of "The Best Doctors of America."
Early Legal Career
In the mid 1970's Dr. Cifarelli began attending night school at the Western State College of Law, while continuing his busy career as a physician during the day. He passed the bar and began practicing both law and medicine in 1979, becoming one of the first practicing physicians and attorneys in Orange County. He devoted much of his practice to medical malpracticeMedical malpractice
Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving medical error. Standards and...
issues. He later moved his law practice to Santa Ana and continued to practice law for several years, joined in the late 1980s by his oldest son Philip C. Cifarelli, J.D.
Later Legal Career
After a short semi-retirement in the late 1990s, Dr. Cifarelli returned to the practice of law around 2000, joining the law firm run by his sons including well-known child rights attorney Thomas A. Cifarelli, at The Cifarelli Law Firm, LLP. It was during the second half of his legal career where Dr. Cifarelli took up the cause of representing physicians in legal/ethical issues related to the treatment of patients including the terminally ill.Teaching and Advocating for Patients' Rights
Dr. Cifarelli spent much of the second half of his legal and teaching career on bioethicsBioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
issues on behalf of terminally ill patients seeking the right to die with dignity and the physicians who treat them. Always driven by a love of education and philosophy, Dr. Cifarelli became actively involved with the American College of Legal Medicine, educating practicing physicians and attorneys about cutting edge issues involving Bio-Ethics and the right to death with dignity. He ascended to the rank of President of the American College of Legal Medicine in 2005 and was honored with the organization's Gold Medal for lifetime achievement in March 2008. At COMP Dr. Cifarelli established the school's first Legal Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
Ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
program in 1978 and taught generations of physicians about the ethical and legal issues doctors face on a daily basis in their care of patients including the terminally ill. Dr. Cifarelli truly loved teaching and his 29 years of lecturing at COMP provided him much joy. In his legal practice Dr. Cifarelli successfully represented many physicians being investigated by the State Medical Board for following patients' wishes and providing advanced end-of-life care to terminally ill and suffering patients. Dr. Cifarelli also promoted awareness of these subjects through his active leadership in the American College of Legal Medicine.
Death and Family
Dr. Cifarelli was diagnosed with lung cancer in the Summer of 2007. He underwent extensive treatment for the disease until his death. He is survived by his four children Emilia Longo, Nina Longo, Philip C. Cifarelli and Thomas A. Cifarelli, and seven grandchildren Candace, Amanda, Jeanine, Alex, Vincent, Angela and Michael. He is also survived by his younger brother Dr. Albert V. Cifarelli of New York City, and his second wife Barbara.External links
- American College of Legal Medicine