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David Goldstein, doctor in Selden, dies at 49

BY RIDGELY OCHS | ridgely.ochs@newsday.com

April 24, 2008

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Dr. David Goldstein, of East Setauket, appreciated fine clothes, fancy cars and a good cigar. But his greatest passion by far was taking care of his patients.

A beloved solo practitioner in Selden, Goldstein died unexpectedly April 5 in his home of an aortic dissection, a tear in the aorta. He was 49.

Board-certified in internal medicine, Goldstein often would see 50 to 60 patients a day, according to his wife, Margaret, who was operations manager in his office for 15 years.

He had more than 2,000 active patients, she said, and gave each person his personal touch - both his lively sense of humor and his ability to diagnose even rare conditions.

"He was a brilliant diagnostician," she said. "He loved to watch [the television program] 'House,' and he always got the obscure diagnosis. We got so many cards and letters from patients who said he had saved their lives."

Goldstein was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and reared in Dix Hills. His father, Ronald Goldstein, was a radiologist who practiced in Smithtown.

In 1980, he graduated from Hofstra University with a biology degree and went to medical school at University Auto de Guadalajara in Mexico, from which he graduated in 1984. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn in 1987.

The following year he opened a practice in Coram. In 1998, he moved the practice to Selden, his wife said. He had attending privileges at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital and St. Charles Hospital, both in Port Jefferson.

It was not unusual for him to visit a patient in the hospital in the middle of the night. But he always dressed in signature designer clothes and shoes before he left, his wife said: "'First impressions are lasting,' he would say."

He was devoted to his patients, who often became his friends.

"Many of his patients loved and were with him for years," said Dr. Arnold Leiboff, a friend who is a colon and rectal surgeon in East Setauket. "He was a very hard worker and a good doctor ... We all miss him."

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughters, Alexis, 16, and Samantha, 14; father, Ronald Goldstein of Commack; and brother, Harvey Goldstein of Arizona.

A funeral was held April 8 at Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook. He was buried in Washington Memorial Park in Mount Sinai. Donations in his name can be made to the American Heart Association National Center, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231.