About Harold and Jane Hirsh

A pioneer of law and medicine, Dr. Harold Hirsh, along with his wife Jane, endowed the Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program in 1997 as part of the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. The aim of the program is to foster an in-depth understanding of health law and its influence on health policy and public health and health care practice. In addition to the Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program, the Hirshes endowed grand rounds lecture series at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences and several area hospitals and were benefactors of the Hirsh Health Center, an outpatient geriatric medical center at the Hebrew Home in Rockville, Maryland.

Harold Hirsh was a physician, lawyer, and professor, and had an enormously influential professional career. A Washington native, Harold graduated with honors in 1942 from Georgetown University Medical School and spent the next 30 years practicing internal medicine and teaching clinical medicine at Howard University's medical and dental schools. After three decades as an infectious disease specialist, he grew weary of what he viewed as the increasing "industrialization" of medicine and entered law school at American University, from which he graduated with honors. He then embarked on an equally long career teaching medical ethics and medical law courses at American University, GW, and other local educational institutions.

Harold Hirsh was regarded as one of the "grandfathers" of the law and medicine movement. He published hundreds of articles in medical, legal, and scientific journals and authored or co-authored 15 books. He was the editor of several journals and served on the boards of various medico-legal organizations. Harold also held professorial rank at several local universities, including Distinguished Visiting Professor at GW.

Jane Hirsh was hugely instrumental in both Harold's career and their philanthropic pursuits. She worked to help support Dr. Hirsh through medical school and helped manage his medical practice. She shared Harold's vision of a health law and policy program and was his partner in efforts to improve community-based care for the elderly.

Dr. and Mrs. Hirsh were married for 70 years. Both died in 2009, survived by a large and loving family, perhaps their most important achievement.