Herbert Schneiderman M.D.

Herbert Schneiderman, 93, died peacefully on August 24, 2024 at The Oaks in Syracuse after a long illness. He was born in New York City to the late Arthur and Ann Schneiderman on February 18, 1931. He is predeceased by his beloved wife Hillery, his sister Doris Schneiderman, and his son-in-law John Wiswall.

Herbert Schneiderman attended University of Chicago, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Near the end of the Korean War he was drafted and briefly served in the Army, after which he decided to pursue a career in medicine. In 1960, he received an MD degree from The Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed his graduate medical education in Pediatrics at the SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse, then completed a Fellowship in Medical Genetics at Uppsala University, Sweden and a Fellowship in Pediatric Genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

He spent most of his career as a Professor of Pediatrics at SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse. He served as the Course Coordinator for the Pediatric Core Clerkship and was Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics Education Committee. He won numerous awards as a teacher, including SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse's President's Award for Excellence in Teaching as well as winning the Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Teaching over a dozen times.

As a professor, he was heavily involved in the use of technology to enhance medical education. He began to experiment with the use of technology to enhance medical education in the late 1960s, beginning with using videotapes to teach clinic skills. He developed some of the first computer-based clinical simulations in the US, which were made available to medical schools across the country. He also pioneered in the development of modularized education and computer-based testing in a clinical discipline. And he served on the American Board of Pediatrics' initiatives to use computers in teaching and testing pediatrics.

After it was discovered that his son David had autism, he became engaged in a forty year effort to advocate and provide services for people who have disabilities. He founded and directed the Spina Bifida Clinic and acted as a consultant to the Cerebral Palsy Center. He also worked to incorporate understanding disabilities and disability rights advocacy into the education of doctors, nurses, and other members of the health system. Working in partnership with his wife Hillery, he was involved in a wide range of efforts to advocate for the inclusion of disabled people in all walks of life, from elementary through high school to residential and vocational. He served on numerous boards and advisory councils, including on the board of Syracuse University's Center on Human Policy.

He is survived by his children Anders, Julia and David Schneiderman and his grandchildren Celeste and Aaron Wiswall. He will be remembered as a kind, loving, compassionate and generous husband, father, grandfather and friend. 

A memorial service will be held at the May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society at 1PM September 13th.