Former pulmonary chief, physician remembered for his compassion

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Sahn headed south after high school, successively graduating from Duke University and the University of Louisville Medical School. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Iowa Hospitals and his fellowship in pulmonary medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

Sahn was recruited to MUSC in 1983 to head up the new division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. “In a span of 30 years, and as a result of his leadership and vision, he developed a division with an incredible national reputation starting with just a few faculty members,” Huggins shared.  

In 2013, Dr. Sahn retired after manning the helm for three decades, leaving a department that he had built into one of national and international recognition, according to Patrick Flume, M.D., the Powers–Huggins endowed chair for cystic fibrosis.

Huggins enumerated the many awards and honors Sahn received. Twice he was awarded the Alfred Soffer Award for Editorial Excellence, and in 2011, he was awarded the American Thoracic Society's Trudeau Medal, a highly prestigious lifetime achievement award, recognizing his major contributions to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of lung disease.

Dr. Sahn's contributions in the field of pulmonary medicine were extensive, contributing more than 1,000 published articles. Patients were referred to Dr. Sahn from all over the country, and it was well known that they routinely wrote him notes of gratitude, not only for his talents as a gifted physician, but for his depth of care and compassion.

It is said by those who knew and loved him that to know Dr. Sahn was to know he was passionate about three things: the MUSC fellowship program, family and sports.

His legacy and expertise will continue through those he trained in the fellowship program and his extensive body of work and publications.

Dr. Sahn often reminded his physicians-in-training that doctors need to balance their work life with family time, and he demonstrated this philosophy by example, going home for to spend time with his family before returning to the hospital to tend to patients and his responsibilities.

Flume, who served as interim director of the division when Dr. Sahn retired, spoke fondly at that time of Sahn’s devotion to the fellows. “One of Steve’s greatest passions was the fellowship program,” he said. “He built the program, grew it, nurtured it and the program has doubled in the last 20 years. He helped the fellows with their careers. He loved to watch them grow, and his favorite part was teaching. He had a very fatherly approach with them. I can say that our fellows, as a result, can go deeper in the diagnosis process than most which is a huge testament to Steve.”An avid sports enthusiast, Sahn was highly passionate about his favorite teams: the Duke Blue Devils, the St. Louis Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. His passion made for lively discussion, friendly rivalries, and a high energy game-watching experience.

Known to many as Coach Steve, because he coached many of his children's sports baseball, basketball and club soccer teams, he taught lessons on the ball field that many still remember and cherish today. He brought the same commitment and gusto to coaching that he shared with his family and in his work. He never missed a game or practice.

Although Larry Mohr, M.D., professor medicine, was not able to attend the service of his longtime friend, the sentiments shared on his behalf characterized their close relationship. “Steve was a giant in pulmonary medicine. He authored thousands of publications, trained greater than 60 pulmonary fellows. Most important is that he was a wonderful human being. Although we came from different pedigrees, Duke versus UNC, we loved each other, and I loved him like a brother. He will be missed and never forgotten. His achievements will continue to be fostered in those that he trained.”

Huggins’ eulogy touched family and friends and brought both laughter and tears. It was a heartfelt testament to the man he revered – a man he credits for bringing out the best in him and others. “He gave to me encouragement when I needed it most, he showed true wisdom, he helped me see value in myself, he gave my work meaning, he was a true leader—and a creative one at that; most importantly, he was a true friend and a father to so many.

“So, I now know what I want to be when I grow up,” he continued. “I want to be like my mentor, a man we all loved and adored: the gentle-spirited, kind, and caring Dr. Sahn.”   

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:

• The MUSC Foundation, in support of the Steven A. Sahn M.D. Distinguished Visiting Professorship, 18 Bee Street MSC 450, Charleston, SC 29425 or on line at musc.edu/giving/medicine
• Respite of Charleston, 1605 Harborview Road, Charleston, SC 29412
• BrightFocus Foundation for Alzheimer's Research, 22512 Gateway Center Dr., Clarksburg, MD 20871

Messages of Condolence

Dr. Sahn was an internationally-recognized expert in pulmonary medicine, and received many honors and awards, including the Edward Livingston Trudeau Medal, the highest honor from the American Thoracic Society, which recognizes lifelong major contributions to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of lung disease.  A major reason for my accepting the position as division chief was the ability to build upon the strong foundation that Dr. Sahn created for the Pulmonary Division.
— Lynn M Schnapp, M.D., Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

When I was looking for a job and had to go and meet Dr. Sahn at the ATS meeting in San Diego at a poster session, I was so nervous. When I finally met him after the crowd had dissipated around him, I found a fatherly figure who was kind and immediately put me at ease. He was a father figure to thousands: fellows, residents, medical students and faculty. When I came to Charleston, it became evident that he was a great leader. He led by allowing people to grow into the people and physicians they needed to become. He would give enough leeway to allow you to make mistakes and grow. He would pull you back if you went off the reservation, always with a calm and gentle demeanor.
— Antine Stenbit, M.D., Greenville Health System

Steve Sahn embodied the emergence of MUSC as a major medical center. He showed us all how to provide great clinical care and turn that experience into an academic enterprise that the whole institution could be proud of.  The clinical conferences that he ran were the best in the whole hospital and taught us all how to be world class physicians.
— Charlie Strange, M.D., Division Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

As I reflect on Steve's legacy, his prolific academic career is widely known. He is known throughout the world as the foremost authority on pleural disease, but what I remember most is the compassion he showed people and his love for the underdog (except when it came to Duke basketball). He had incredible love for his trainees. When fellows were struggling with personal problems, he made a point to meet with them privately in his famous office to offer encouragement and wisdom. Sometimes, he cried with them. He liked to say that many of life's problems are like "duck bites" because they hurt at first but then get better.
— Nicholas J. Pastis, Jr., M.D., Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

I came to MUSC in December 2010 and in the brief period that I knew Dr. Sahn, I was extremely impressed with the compassion with which he dealt with everyone. There are few people who are truly great individuals and Dr. Sahn belonged to that rare category. He had unsurpassed leadership skills and would treat each faculty member as his own family member. He would encourage and support everyone and had the "uncanny sense" of somehow recognizing each individual's innate potential and nurturing them so that they could make a mark in their respective fields. This is the hallmark of a true leader. He built a nationally known Pulmonary, Critical care and Sleep medicine division from the ground up which bears testament to this fact. I will always remember "Papa Sahn" as the example that I aspire to follow.
— Chitra Lal, M.D., Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

I met Steve in 1974 at Colorado when I was an intern, and he was just starting as a member of the faculty at the University of Colorado world-famous pulmonary division. His warmth and commitment to mentoring made me immediately drawn to him and he has been my mentor ever since. I was with Steve when he started his first research lab in Colorado, when he published his first important paper on pleural disease, and when he moved to Charleston to lead his new division. I saw how excited he was, how dedicated he was, how positive he was, and how enthusiastic he was on each of these career milestones. But I was also with him when he first met Claire and fell in love. And I saw Steve being more excited, positive, dedicated and enthusiastic than I had ever seen before. And this is who Steve is. A dedicated physician and scientist but foremost a loving family man. I am a better man for having known him.
— John Heffner, M.D., Former MUSC Medical Director

Steve was far and away the most responsible person for my academic career.  He was the best clinician that I knew.  He was a good friend. I could never repay him for all that he did for me.
— Marc Judson, M.D., Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Albany Medical Center

It was my honor and privilege to serve as Steve's physician during his neurological decline.
It was the steadfast devotion of Steve's wife and family that sustained his quality of life during his illness. Caring for our own families and the families of our professional colleagues should remind us to be genuinely involved in the care of all of our patients.
—David Bachman, M.D., Department of Neurosciences and Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

I worked under Dr. Sahn in Pulmonary Medicine 1990 through 1998, as an administrative assistant for Drs. Strange, Frye, and Collop. That was a great eight years with a fantastic bunch of people. I at first was a little intimidated by Dr. Sahn, but found him to have a sense of humor – when I pegged him on the head with a Nerf basketball as he passed my desk. He stopped, turned around and looked at me – I thought here goes my job--and he shook his head and laughed and went on into his office. Whew.  All business, but he also liked a party and the department had a good time at several dance parties he initiated. I am so sad to hear that a very brilliant flame was lost. He did leave a lot of knowledge for others to learn from and that is his legacy.
— Deborah Stokes, MUSC Libraries

I joined Dr. Sahn's division in 1990 and have continued at MUSC and VA hospital for the past 26 years. During most of that time, Steve was the chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Two things really stand out in my mind about Dr. Sahn: The first was how meticulously thorough he was with each patient in his private clinic. A true professional and a true physician. The second thing I will always remember is the concept of the pulmonary 'pearl' that was promoted at each of our biweekly pulmonary noon conferences. A 'pearl' was the essential teaching point of the case, the essence of the case, the singular 'take home' message. Every case that was presented had to have one. In the early days, each one was written on the chalk board by the trainee (the pulmonary fellow). A corollary to the pearl was that on occasion there were 'pearl violations.' That is, any teaching point that was offered up during conference as a pearl that was too simplistic or already commonly known was deemed a 'pearl violation.' Rather than being stressful, the announcement of a 'pearl violation' was generally done in a light-hearted manner and usually resulted in laughter in the room. If the point was unworthy of being considered a pearl ,it was rejected by the group and the trainee was asked to try again and come up with a true pearl of the case. Dr Sahn and Dr. John Heffner popularized the pearl concept in two case-based textbooks they coauthored, the 'Pulmonary Pearls' and the 'Critical Care Pearls.' Always a family man, Dr. Sahn along with Dr. Heffner dedicated these books to their wives, children and parents. I always felt that Dr. Sahn went to great lengths to help each of his faculty become successful, just as family members help each other to succeed. The success of the Pulmonary division over the years has been a testament to this.

—Michael Frye M.D., Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care Medicine and Sleep Medicine