Harvey Goldman, a professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School (HMS) since 1960, was presented with the Distinguished Pathologist Award by the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology last month, recognizing a lifetime of medical and educational achievement.

Goldman is an international leader in the field of anatomic pathology, specializing in gastrointestinal diseases of the stomach, colon, and esophagus.

As the former faculty dean for medical education at HMS, Goldman played a leading role in replacing the school’s traditional, lecture-focused teaching style with problem-based learning, an innovative approach that presents medical students with problems to be solved in a tutorial manner. The method is still in use today.

In addition, Goldman has written several books analyzing mucosal biopsies, tissue samples taken from intestinal lining. He is currently conducting research at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston (BIDMC), focusing on early cancer diagnosis through biopsy analysis.

Colleagues, including Jeffrey E. Saffitz, current chief of pathology at BIDMC, described Goldman as “easygoing and fun.”

“He derives a great deal of satisfaction from working with students,” Saffitz said. “He’s also one of the best people in the world in his specialty.”

Seymour Rosen, also a professor of pathology at HMS, was similarly brimming with praise.

“There are so many positive things I can say that I don’t know where to begin,” Rosen gushed. “Dr. Goldman is an educator of the highest quality. He’s a wonderful teacher and a wonderful human being who is prized by everyone who knows him. He really and truly enjoys teaching.”

Goldman himself agreed with that sentiment.

“Harvard students are the ultimate stimulus,” he said, adding that working with students has been a highlight of his career.

Outside the classroom, Goldman has served as president of the New England Society of Pathologists and the U.S. and Canadian Academy of Pathology, the organization that presented him with the Distinguished Pathologist Award. He is currently vice chairman of pathology at BIDMC.

One colleague predicted an even more prestigious title in Goldman’s future.

“The Pope is even thinking of making Dr. Goldman a saint,” Rosen quipped. “No, just kidding—he’s Jewish.”