Obituary of Richard Traystman

Richard Joel Traystman, age 75, of Denver, Colorado, Passed away on October 19, 2017 in Colorado.

Dick was born in Brooklyn, New York to Raetchel and Maurice Traystman on April 5, 1942.

Warm and kind, Dick was a tremendous colleague, great contributor to his field, and mentor to many students and postdocs. Colorado University-Anschutz recruited him in 2007. Dick oversaw the University’s research functions at both the Colorado University-Anschutz and Colorado University-Denver campuses, including research development, regulatory compliance and laboratory animal resources.

Dick’s scientific contributions were many, with his most significant and lasting influence in the field of cerebral blood flow and metabolism. He published more than 475 articles in peer-reviewed journals, served on editorial boards for many prestigious journals, trained more than 100 fellows and students and was funded by NIH throughout his decades-long career. His remarkable productivity was a testament to his work ethic, scientific creativity and commitment to discovery.

Dick received his BS and MS degrees from Long Island University and his PhD from Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, where he worked for more than 30 years until he was recruited in 2003 by the Oregon Health and Science University. He left Hopkins as a distinguished professor and senior vice chair for research. At Oregon, he was associate vice president for research planning and development, associate dean for research, and professor of anesthesiology and peri-operative medicine.

Among the numerous distinguished awards he received, Dick was most proud of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, the Excellence in Research Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Excellence in Research Award from the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Heart Association, designation as the Robert M. Berne Distinguished Lecturer by the Cardiovascular Section of the American Physiological Society and an ScD (Honorary) from Long Island University.

Dick is survived by his wife, Suzann Lupton of Denver.

In lieu of flowers, Dick requested that memorial donations be made to The American Stroke Association. https://donatenow.heart.org/stroke/