Feb. 28, 2024

He was a military doctor who rose in rank from captain to major, later completing his pulmonary medicine fellowship at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C. But in 1974, Allan Goldman, MD, answered a different call of duty.

By then a civilian, he became a charter faculty member of a brand-new medical school at the University of South Florida, joining the fledgling college’s first dean, Dr. Donn Smith, an Army commander in World War II under iconic Gen. George Patton.

Dr. Goldman could have played it safe and stayed at legendary Walter Reed, which drew patients from a large, urban population and served as a worldwide referral center. But something about the challenge of a new medical school appealed to the young, former Army physician.

“It was exciting to be part of something from the ground floor,” he reflects. “But at the same time there was a little fear and trepidation.”

Nearly 50 years later, it’s safe to say that Dr. Goldman made the right decision. He became an integral part of the Morsani College of Medicine from the mid 1970s to his retirement in 2015 — whether serving as chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, directing Graduate Medical Education, teaching or acting as a valued mentor and leader. 

“We are deeply grateful to Dr. Goldman’s many contributions to helping to shape the Morsani College of Medicine into the powerhouse it is today,” said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “He was an outstanding teacher and mentor to generations of medical students, and we are delighted that he has found another way to shape his legacy at USF Health.” 

Now, working with the USF Foundation’s Office of Gift Planning, Dr. Goldman is not just paying it forward to USF Health with funds from his individual retirement account (IRA) — he’s paying it backward to honor the institution that played a pivotal role in his life and career.

“To have been part of the College of Medicine’s journey gives me immense pride — and obviously I made a great choice,” he says. “It was due to many good people. I was just a small part of a big operation, but it’s very gratifying. And the college has done dramatically well over 50 years — it’s really quite incredible.”

Dr. Goldman’s ride began in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was born and raised, and eventually earned his undergraduate degree and medical school degree from the University of Minnesota. He headed west for his internship in internal medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, followed by his residency at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. 

His expertise was pulmonary disease and he received vital training in the field at Walter Reed before USF’s founding internal medicine chair, Dr. Roy Behnke, recruited him to oversee the college’s first Division of Pulmonary Disease.

“Walter Reed had asked me to stay on and help direct the pulmonary service for a couple of years, which I did, and then some of my colleagues actually came down to USF to be part of the new medical school,” Dr. Goldman recalls. “That led to me being asked to come down and take a look at things.” 

He ultimately started the pulmonary division at the college, recruiting other faculty members as the division grew. At the same time, his team was very involved with patients at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and Tampa General Hospital.

“We started many of the first contracts with Tampa General to run the intensive care units, respiratory therapy and the pulmonary function lab,” he says. “And I was instrumental in setting up treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center, launching a lung cancer center there and directing that for a number of years. The division grew and we started a training program and trained most of the pulmonary physicians in the Tampa Bay area.”

That group of physicians is tightly knit, and Dr. Goldman has stayed in touch with many of them through the years. 

“We play racquetball and now they want me to start playing pickleball. I may try that if it doesn’t kill me,” he says with a laugh.

From 1974-94, Dr. Goldman served as pulmonary disease division director and chief of Haley’s pulmonary section. He then replaced the man who brought him to USF, Dr. Behnke, as Department of Internal Medicine chair, staying in that role until 2012. For the next three years, Dr. Goldman’s focus shifted as associate dean of Graduate Medical Education. 

Even after his retirement in 2015, he has stayed busy with the medical school — assisting with the pulmonary division and internal medicine resident clinics three days a week.

Small wonder that Dr. Goldman and his wife of 54 years, Barbara, wanted to support the medical college that has been such a defining part of their lives. They’re doing so through his IRA, utilizing the annual required minimum distribution to make a charitable donation. The gift has certain tax benefits as well.

“I thought it was a good thing to get started,” he explains. “We’re fortunate to be in a position to give back and hope to encourage others to do the same.”

For the former Army doc, it’s all in the line of duty.