Remembering Robert J. Herfkens, MD

“Bob Herfkens was the first radiologist I ever worked with. He supported my transition from a Master’s student in EE here to becoming a medical student at Stanford in 1988. Without his strong support, I would not have become a member of the faculty and eventually a full professor here at Stanford.

Bob was thoughtful and kind. He was generous with his time and ideas, and despite how busy he was clinically he made time for me to develop my first paper in MRI, which was published in JMRI in 1993. Bob’s interest was in cardiovascular and body MRI, which was different than mine. Although I specialized in musculoskeletal imaging, I maintained my friendship and admiration for Bob and all he accomplished over the years.

Gary Glazer, the former chair of the department, once told me Bob had “broad shoulders”. He meant that Bob would take on any task in the department that was needed, in addition to mentoring students and doing his own clinical work and research. Bob was a thoughtful and kind mentor, and great citizen of the department. I’m deeply saddened by his passing.”

    -    Garry Gold, MD, MS, former Chair of Radiology and current Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging

“Bob was instrumental in the development and translation of MRI, very connected to academic research and industry partners and giving tremendous service to the ISMRM. To us he was a leader, in clinical MRI but also in the Lucas Center. He was instrumental in building much of the translational infrastructure that made Stanford Radiology world class.

Bob had a way of being decisive, and was not afraid to be direct. That challenged people, and at times wasn't what you wanted to hear, but he made us all much better people, physicians, and scientists. Behind that he was gently supportive of everyone he worked with, and as dedicated to Stanford Radiology as anyone. I am grateful for having the chance to work closely with Bob for many years, and as an office neighbor, most of all I miss the passing conversations, advice and engagement about almost anything.”

    -    Brian Hargreaves, PhD, Professor of Radiology and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering and of Bioengineeering

“I met Bob on the very first day of my Radiology residency at UCSF. I walked into the 7:30 am conference at Moffitt and sat in the back row next to him, not knowing anyone in the room. In those days, the teaching conferences were all “hot seat” conferences, and the presiding attending would randomly call on residents from the audience to come to the front of the room and discuss the X-rays on the alternator. Since I knew very little radiology at the point, I remember leaning over to Bob and whispering, “Man, are you scared?” Bob instantly replied, “More than you can know.”

We soon became great friends after that and rented a house in Sausalito together with another radiology resident, Don Tracy. We spent many wonderful weekend afternoons barbequing on the deck in the sunshine of Marin, discussing all our triumphs (which were few) and tribulations (which were many) from taking calls at SF General, where we would spend all night doing trauma and cerebral angiographies because the hospital had no CT scanner at the time. I became a partner in a small sailboat (Cal-20), and Bob and I had a great time going out on the bay---until the motor inevitably broke down and we actually had to sail it.

As we moved on with our lives and careers, we always remained close. Bob was the best man at my wedding, and I was the best man at his. Very early in his residency, Bob recognized the extraordinary potential of MRI for Body and Cardiac imaging and was extensively involved in MRI research. After residency, Bob was recruited to Duke to start a Body MRI program, and I was once asked by the chair at Duke to visit and give a lecture. Bob informed me that Trish, his wife, just learned she was pregnant, and Bob asked me, while I was at the hospital on Sunday before my flight, if I’d do an ultrasound on Trish. I agreed. I’m sure this violated half a dozen hospital regulations, but I went ahead. As I moved the ultrasound transducer back and forth from one fetal head to the other, Trish blurted out, “We’re having twins!” The next thing I knew, Bob had slumped to the floor, and later we had a great laugh over it.

Bob’s professional career in academic radiology was truly remarkable. He was very adept at math and physics and was one of the very few people who really understood MRI physics at a fundamental level. Bob was internationally recognized as a luminary in Cardiac and later Breast MRI. He was the president of a major MRI society and published extensively.

As successful as his career was, Bob was an exceptionally devoted husband and father. He was incredibly proud of Megan and Garrett and thrilled at all they accomplished.

Despite all is academic achievements, Bob was never boastful. He remained a kind and generous soul, steadfastly loyal to family and friends. Although he left us too soon, he had an extraordinary career and left an indelible mark on the field of Body MRI. All who were privileged to know him were proud to call him our friend. We will dearly miss him.”

    -    R. Brooke Jeffries, MD, Professor of Radiology, Emeritus

"I met Bob around 1980 and had the pleasure of collaborating with him for 40 years, including 30 years as colleagues at Stanford. His formal training was in chemistry and medicine, but he had exceptional appreciation for physics and engineering. He taught me so many key insights that I can't begin to enumerate. He impacted and encouraged all my research, far beyond the work that was close to his own interests. His judgment for good research was exceptional. Without him, I would not have gotten my first NIH grant, which was crucial to my academic success. Most importantly, he showed me the power of a close relationship between clinical and basic scientists. While most of our interactions revolved around research, I enjoyed watching him interpret clinical studies in the reading room. It showed me another side of him. Suddenly, a switch was thrown, and the focus was not on the technology but on the patient. He was a very caring and effective physician. I am deeply saddened and will miss my good friend Bob Herfkens.”

    -    Norbert Pelc, ScD, Professor of Radiology, Emeritus, and former Associate Chair for Research