ABSTRACT
Doris came to Sinai in 1953 and remained until her death 18 years later. She was the Director of Social Work Services, and also the Edith J. Baerwald Professor of Community Medicine, the only endowed chair in social work in a medical institution. In 1956 Doris Siegel and Dr. Martin Steinberg, Mount Sinai’s beloved illustrious CEO, published a joint article in Hospitals asking, “is social work a luxury or necessity?” She had a personal warmth, compassion and grace, with a critical interest in people. Her commitment to Mount Sinai was boundary-less. She saw its potential for the best social-health care. When she was inducted into the Baerwald Chair in 1969 she said social work and medicine have a responsibility for “reaching out more aggressively not only to those we serve, but to those whom we should serve.”.
