Dr. Robert Mancini, noted LI medical educator, dies at 65

Dr. Robert E. Mancini, a noted Long Island medical educator and expert in pharmacology and toxicology who devoted his career to the training of young physicians, has died. He was 65.

He left Long Island in 2001 and moved to Vermont where he passed away Nov. 17 after a long battle with Parkinsonism, complications associated with Parkinson's disease, according to his family.

Mancini was a noted medical educator at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, colleagues said, where he was professor and chairman of the department of pharmacology, toxicology and experimental therapeutics. He also served as assistant dean and associate dean of clinical sciences. Before his tenure there he taught at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

"He dedicated his professional life to the education of physicians-in-training. The profession has lost a giant," Dr. Thomas Scandalis, the dean of New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and a former student of Mancini's, said Friday in a statement.

Another colleague, Dr. Abraham Jeger, associate dean of clinical education at the college, also remembered Mancini for his dedication to students. "He was a model professor and sensitive administrator. He constantly strived for the highest standards and expected the most from his students, facilitating their rising to the challenge," Jeger said.

In addition to his osteopathic medical degree, Mancini held a doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology.

His older brother, Ronald Mancini of Manchester, Vt., describes an intellectual curiosity that defined the professor's pursuits from childhood through his later years.

SEE PHOTOSNotable deaths: Long Islanders we recently lost

"As a kid he was really into baseball, baseball statistics and batting averages. We're all big Yankees fans, but in addition to baseball, he also had a great passion for reading. He loved biographies. I've gone through his biography library and he has a lot of first editions of all the wonderful writers, and a great collection of political and editorial cartoons.

"He had a good run," Ronald Mancini said Friday, summing up his brother's life.

Robert Mancini was born Feb. 28, 1945, in Flushing and earned his PhD at Jefferson Medical College in 1973. He obtained his degree in osteopathic medicine in 1977 while serving as an associate professor of pharmacology at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. In 1983, he returned to New York and joined the College of Osteopathic Medicine's staff.

In addition to his brother Ronald, survivors include Gerald Mancini, another brother of Far Rockaway; and his sister-in-law, Jacqueline Baker of Manchester, Vt. Mancini was divorced and had no children.

SEE PHOTOSRecent notable deaths

A funeral service will be held 10 a.m. Monday at Frederick Funeral Home in Flushing. Burial will be in Mount St. Mary's Cemetery in Flushing immediately following the service. Memorial contributions in his name may be made to the American Parkinson Disease Association.