Irwin M. Weisbrot Obituary
Dr. Irwin M. Weisbrot, 94, husband of Dorothy D. Canevari of Norwalk, CT passed away on August 4, 2024 at Norwalk Hospital. Irwin was born on August 13, 1929 in Brooklyn, NY to Louis and Esther Weisbrot, who both immigrated from Poland to America shortly after the first World War. A graduate of Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, NY, Irwin received a New York State Regents Scholarship for college which was put toward easing his family's finances while he chose to attend the tuition free (and highly competitive at the time) City College of New York (CCNY).
At CCNY he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa at the end of his second year, received the Wertheim prize for excellence in pre-Clinical Medical Sciences and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Receiving a second New York State Regents Scholarship for Medical School, Irwin attended New York University (NYU) and graduated from the NYU School of Medicine in 1955. He interned at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. Following his internship, he received a United States Public Health Service Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Working with Dr. Virginia Apgar and Dr. L. Stanley James in the Anesthesia and Pediatric departments, he participated in studies on the effects of Obstetric anesthetics on the newborn and methods for resuscitation of distressed newborn infants after delivery. He was the author of a pioneer paper on "Acid-Base Balance during the First 24 Hours After Birth" using early methods for umbilical catheterization for arterial blood samples. This was widely cited in medical journals and textbooks of Pediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynecology.
After completing a Pathology Residency at the Veteran's Administration (VA) Hospital in Bronx, NY and becoming board qualified by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in Anatomical and Clinical Pathology, Dr. Weisbrot served as Assistant Chief of Laboratory at the Bronx VA Hospital before joining Norwalk Hospital in 1967 as an Attending Pathologist until his retirement in 1993. He published numerous papers on tissue changes in disease, on the evaluation of laboratory testing instruments, and laboratory quality control.
He also published a book – "Statistics for the Clinical Laboratory". In addition, he was a member of the Hematology Resource Committee and of the Product Evaluation Committee of the College of American Pathologists. He participated on the "Ask the Experts" panel at the annual convention of College of American Pathologists. Dr. Weisbrot served as Chairman of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) statistical methods committee. In addition, he served on the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) premarket standards committee setting performance standards for new medical laboratory instruments and represented the College of American Pathologists on the symposium on science and industry concerning the relations between scientists and the industries they might work with.
He was also an Associate Clinical Professor of Pathology at Yale University where he often taught a pathology course and enjoyed spending time in the excellent Yale medical library. Aside from his storied career in medicine, Irwin was an active bicyclist with the Sound Cyclist Club well into his eighties and enjoyed the gym at the Westport-Wilton Y into his nineties. Irwin was an instrument rated Private Pilot. He learned to fly in 1965 at a small field in New Jersey. He was very proficient in flying on instruments (in the clouds) and spent many hours serving as a safety pilot for friends working for their instrument rating.
During his retirement, Irwin designed, built and flew numerous model airplanes that were replicas of actual airplanes. Above all, Irwin was an extraordinarily caring, kind and generous person with a unique, witty and hilarious sense of humor. He was an adoring husband to his wife, Dorothy, and wonderful dad to her children. Irwin especially cherished his role as "Pop Pop" to grandchildren, Margaux, Kevin, Dolly and Stephen. In addition to his wife, Dorothy Canevari, Irwin is survived by a sister, Helene Shapiro of New York, NY.
He was predeceased by his sister, Sondra Wasserstrom. Services will be private.
