Dr. Marc Philip Posner, MD, of Glen Allen, Virginia, died of metastatic pancreatic cancer on January 11, 2023 at the age of 73. He died peacefully at home with his family by his side.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Arlene, and by his first wife Lynn. He is survived by his wife of 26 years Stacey; two daughters, Rachel Posner Chapman and Emily Posner; one granddaughter, Remy Chapman, and his sisters, Lynn Posner Rice and Lisa Posner Olocco. He is survived by many in-laws, nieces and nephews who loved him dearly.
Dr. Posner was born in New York, New York on June 26, 1949, and raised in Great Neck, N.Y. He grew up playing soccer, tennis, and jazz piano and he was an aficionado all his life. He was an Eagle Scout. The family traveled extensively, so Marc was able to see and experience much of the world in his youth. He studied French and spent two summers in France.
Dr. Posner attended Bucknell University (BA degree in Philosophy, Cum Laude). He attended medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He completed his General Surgery Residency at Boston University Medical Center, followed by a Fellowship in Peripheral Vascular Surgery at New York Medical Center.
Dr. Posner came to the Medical College of Virginia in 1983 as a Surgical Transplant Fellow. Under the guidance of Dr. H.M. Lee, he quickly established himself as a technically excellent surgeon who held himself and those who worked with him to the highest standards.
After rising through the ranks to full Professor, Dr. Posner assumed the role of Director of the Abdominal Transplant Program in 1990. This included kidney, liver and later pancreas transplants. Under his guidance, the abdominal transplant programs flourished and expanded. Patient care, research, and teaching were all integral. His dedication to his patients came first, but his love of teaching benefitted so many students and residents. His fire and passion for medicine were always on full display. His contributions to transplantation over his career were seen in his 300+ publications, abstracts, book chapters, presentations, and countless accolades. Dr. Posner was instrumental in the development of the pancreas transplant program. He brought together a surgical team to form one of the earliest and most successful living donor liver transplant programs in the world.
He retired in 2015 as Professor Emeritus at VCU Health System, and worked part time as a vascular surgeon at the H.H. McGuire Veterans Medical Center in Richmond. In 2022, he was an active member of the VCU Medical School admissions committee.
Dr. Posner was truly a renaissance man. He loved to read and had an extensive reading list of Pulitzer Prize winners, forever a scholar. He loved music of all genres and played jazz piano. He loved museums, art and photography. He loved spending time with his family. He loved traveling, scuba diving in the Caribbean, and horseback riding and hiking in the national parks with his wife by his side. He loved hiking in Virginia state parks with his two beautiful German shorthaired pointers Rocket and Cody. He loved spending time at his river house in Gloucester, on Mobjack Bay, sitting on the dock, with a gentle salt breeze.
Dr. Posner will be missed by so many. A Celebration of Life ceremony will be held on February 4, 2023, 1 p.m. at Woody Funeral Home, 1771 N. Parham Rd, Henrico, Va. 23229. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation or the Experiment in International Living.