Ralph O. Wallerstein is an experienced practitioner and former academician, who served as president of ASH in 1978. In 1970, he was one of six hematologists who worked with the American Board of Internal Medicine to create the first boards in hematology. He has also been actively involved in the work of several medical associations during his career, including the Board of Internal Medicine and the American College of Physicians.

Orignally from Germany, Dr. Wallerstein's family moved to San Francisco in 1938, where his father started an internal medicine practice. Dr. Wallerstein eventually joined his father at his practice, and subsequently, his own son followed in his footsteps as well, working at the practice early in his career.

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I trained in hematology at UCSF when Ralph was an attending. Rounds were extremely interesting and I recall the time when he performed a sternal bone marrow aspirate on an elderly woman with pernicious anemia who had some congitive impairment. On another occasion, Ralph was chairing a session at ASH and his co-chair failed to show up. He selected me to join him chairing the session at my formative stage in hematology.

– Marshall E. Kadin

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