Alan Cross, MD, died peacefully on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at his home with family. Dr. Cross was a member of the faculty of the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine for more than thirty years, most recently as professor and vice chair of the Department of Social Medicine, professor of pediatrics, and professor of maternal and child health in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. He was also director of the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP, a CDC Prevention Research Center), serving for 12 years from 1992 to 2003.
Dr. Cross had a passion for medicine, service, health disparities research, education, and social justice. A pediatrician by training, he continued to serve as a primary care clinician throughout his career. He spent several years working with community clinics in Nairobi, Kenya and served on the board of directors for Carolina for Kibera for many years.
In his message to the medical community, William L. Roper, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, vice chancellor for medical affairs and chief executive officer of the UNC Health Care System, wrote about Alan, “He was a major part of the experience of a generation of medical students, a role model for us as faculty at UNC, and will be remembered by many of us not just as a mentor and colleague, but as a trusted physician to our children and grandchildren.”
Tim Carey, MD, MPH, director of the UNC Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, reinforced this in commenting that though Alan lived the end of his life with a progressive neurologic disease, “he dealt with it with what I can only describe as heroism,” continuing to teach students, medical residents, and faculty from his wheelchair.
While director of HPDP, Dr. Cross didn’t shy away from bold health promotion actions such as challenging the tobacco industry, and promoting condom distribution to youth. He was a leader in originating the concept that every child should have a medical home, a principle that has now been nationally adopted. His research interests included assessing the effectiveness of community-based interventions to improve infant health, testing methods for improving adolescent health through school and community interventions, and improving the delivery of preventive services to low-income populations. He also felt a strong connection with HPDP’s community partners, and attended nearly every Community Action Council meeting held during his tenure as director.
Alice Ammerman, DrPH, who succeeded Dr. Cross as director of HPDP in 2003, said he was an inspiration to many researchers. “In addition to being a very important mentor to me, Alan’s legacy with HPDP and the national Prevention Research Center (PRC) network is one of innovative, collaborative leadership; strong commitment to Community-Based Participatory Research and social justice; and dancing at the Community Action Coalition retreats,” she said.
Gail Henderson, PhD, chair of the Department of Social Medicine at the UNC School of Medicine, said, “Alan was a founding member of the department, and served it, the School, and the University as a clinician-educator and leader in many influential capacities. He took seriously the mandate that a clinician working in social medicine would take a broader view of the causes and consequences of illness and the physician’s role – in interactions with patients, in educating medical students and residents, and in the community. He was ahead of his time in many, many respects. He was friend, colleague, and mentor to all of us in the department, and will be deeply missed.”
Des Runyan, MD, DrPH, former department chair and fellow pediatrician, said UNC lost a giant with Cross’s death. “Alan has been a major part of the experience of a generation of medical students, a role model for the rest of us as faculty, and a thoughtful colleague,” said Runyan. “He helped me figure out how to live in the unique environments of social medicine and pediatrics at the same time. I will miss him as a sounding board, an advisor, a colleague, and a friend.”
“Alan’s many colleagues in the departments of social medicine, pediatrics, and public health, along with faculty involved with the School of Medicine curriculum, the Academy of Educators, which he founded, and an array of national collaborators in curriculum innovation and prevention research share a keen sense of loss and appreciation for Alan’s generosity and energy, even as his health failed,” said Sue Estraoff, a colleague in the Department of Social Medicine.
Dr. Cross is survived by his wife, Mimi, four daughters, four sons-in-law and six grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Carolina for Kibera.