On March 25, Amoz Chernoff, MD, a distinguished scientist who identified and described families of hereditary hemolytic anemias, outlined the role of abnormal hemoglobin in blood-related diseases and improved the safety of transfusion medicine, died in Silver Spring at the age of 100.
Chernoff was medical director of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation from 1975-1977. From 1979 until 1988, Chernoff served as director of the Division of Blood Diseases and Resources at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
From 1988 until 1990, Chernoff served as associate executive director for scientific affairs for the American Association of Blood Banks (now known as the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies).
Amoz Immanuel Chernoff was born in Malden, Mass., in 1923. He received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 1944 and a doctor of medicine in 1947, both from Yale University.
He met the love of his life, Renate Fisher, in Chicago. They married in 1953. Amoz and Renate moved to Maryland in 1979 and were active in Ohr Kodesh, Har Shalom, Mishkan Torah and Riderwood Jewish Community. Having been raised by a father who was a Hebrew educator, Amoz had a deep knowledge of Hebrew and the liturgy and often chanted the haftarah at his synagogue on high holidays and other special occasions. Most recently, he chanted the Torah blessings in an aliyah the day before his 100th birthday.
Survivors include his beloved wife, Renate; three children, David Chernoff (Julie Galambush) of Ithaca, N.Y., Susan (Bruce) Huvard of Glencoe, Ill., and Judith Chernoff (Jeffrey Bernstein) of Laurel; and four grandchildren, Michael Huvard (Christine Wang), Rachel Huvard, Daniel Bernstein (Rebecca Jacobowitz) and Matthew Bernstein.
