Bennett Lorber, MD, MACP, Thomas M. Durant Professor of Medicine, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Over a 45-year career as an infectious diseases specialist and professional painter and musician, Bennett Lorber, MD, has used his deep love of art and the humanities to connect with patients and students in unique and creative ways.
A highly acclaimed lecturer in microbiology and immunology, Dr. Lorber recently told Andy Smith, host of the “Off the Charts” podcast, “My training in painting has made me a better observer than many doctors are. It’s something you can learn. You can learn to pay more attention to your environment, and that has helped me make some diagnoses that I might not have made otherwise.”
Since joining the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) faculty in 1973, Dr. Lorber has challenged his students to develop well-honed observational skills. Considered an international authority on human listeriosis, Dr. Lorber encourages his students to see patients in their complete context. By incorporating art and music into his teaching, he not only expands his students’ clinical understanding in memorable ways, but also gives them permission to have interests outside medicine that will help them stay balanced and become better doctors.
“His talents in music and art have provided an avenue in addition to medicine for him to connect with his students, and he is well-known at LKSOM for the highly effective rapport he establishes with them,” says LKSOM Dean Larry R. Kaiser, MD. Dr. Lorber is perhaps best known by students for his fourth-year infectious diseases elective, a course that is consistently “the most popular and sought-after elective for senior students,” says Dr. Kaiser.
Dr. Lorber has earned more than two dozen teaching awards, including Temple’s Golden Apple Teaching Award 13 times. He’s the only educator to have twice received the prestigious Russell and Pearl Moses Memorial Endowed Medical Award, conferred by LKSOM students for outstanding clinical teaching. On two occasions, the LKSOM yearbook was dedicated to Dr. Lorber. In 2013, he was recognized by the American College of Physicians with the Jane F. Desforges Distinguished Teacher Award. He was honored with lifetime achievement awards from both the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Anaerobe Society of the Americas. In 1996, he received an honorary doctor of science degree from Swarthmore College.
Dr. Lorber graduated from Swarthmore College and earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in infectious diseases at Temple University Hospital.