It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Alan Neil Schechter, M.D., a loving husband, father and grandfather, and a cherished colleague, mentor and friend. Dr. Schechter died on Oct. 15 at the age of 86, following a distinguished biomedical research career spanning more than six decades at the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Schechter is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, two children, four grandchildren and his sister. His wife, Geraldine P. Schechter, M.D., is the former chief of hematology at the Washington D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a professor emeritus at George Washington University. They enjoyed a six-decade partnership devoted to building a family, the advancement of medical knowledge and caring for others. He will be remembered as a wise and loving father by Daniele Schechter Huerta (married to Frank Huerta) and Andrew Schechter (married to Sarah Kline), as a devoted grandfather by Bryce Huerta, Mark Huerta, Acadia Schechter and Leah Schechter, and as a caring brother by Patricia Blinder.
Dr. Schechter loved to travel and explore the world, and he developed strong community ties in Castine, Maine, which he visited almost every year since 1972. He was an avid collector of art, recently loaning the Vassar College Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center part of his extensive collection of 19th century Japanese woodblock prints. He read two newspapers a day and multiple magazines, but he also wanted to learn from everyone he met, making it a habit to ask, “What’s new?” His home overflowed with books, testifying to his passion for knowledge on all aspects of science, history and art, and he loved acquiring all kinds of the latest technological gadgets.
Scientific research was Dr. Schechter’s calling, and the NIH was his home. His extraordinary gift lay not only in his own discoveries but in his capacity to connect people, ideas, and opportunities across disciplines and institutions. He fostered collaborations that bridged continents and changed lives. He was a scientist’s scientist — rigorous in thought, generous with knowledge and deeply committed to the advancement of human health through research.
With his passing, the biomedical research community has lost a founding figure of modern physician-scientist training, a pioneer in translational medicine and a champion of scientific integrity. His legacy endures in the investigators he mentored, the patients who benefited from his research and the culture of rigorous, ethical science he helped to establish at the NIH and beyond.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Wilson Museum of Castine, Maine or to the Suburban Hospital Foundation.