Howard Isaacson, longtime obstetrician and gynecologist, department chief, teacher, and veteran, has died at 99

Howard Isaacson, 99, of Wynnewood, a longtime obstetrician and gynecologist in Philadelphia, former chief of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Philadelphia General and Haverford Hospitals, teacher at Thomas Jefferson University Medical College and the University of Pennsylvania’s graduate school of medicine, and veteran, died Sunday, May 15, of cancer at Waverly Heights retirement community in Gladwyne.

As birthdays can be unpredictable, so, too, was Dr. Isaacson’s schedule. He skipped family vacations because patients were due to give birth that week and wrapped traction chains around his car tires during snowstorms so he could drive to the hospital for late-night deliveries. Dr. Isaacson never intended to practice obstetrics. Good with his hands as a young man, he was planning a career as a general surgeon when he was assigned to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., during his military service.

Born Oct. 18, 1922, in the Bronx into a medical family that featured several doctors, Dr. Isaacson grew up in Freehold, N.J., and graduated from Rutgers University in 1943. He was so talented and motivated that, in spite of a stifling quota for Jewish students, earned entry and gained his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in 1946.

Dr. Isaacson was a member and fellow of many professional organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. He regarded his work as a lifelong calling and continued to visit and advise former patients after he retired, often taking his granddaughter, Zoë Slutzky, along for the ride.Dr. Isaacson liked sports, was a ping pong champion as a teenager, and played tennis into his 90s.

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