Dr. James Schroeder, a physician and professor who took night classes to earn an MBA at Northwestern University because of his interest in health care policy, was for 10 years president and CEO of the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation.
Dr. Schroeder, 62, died of leukemia Tuesday, Dec. 30, at his home in Hobe Sound, Fla., said his wife, Carol. He was a resident of Wilmette.
A native of Akron, Ohio, Dr. Schroeder spent a summer during his undergraduate years at Yale University as an orderly at St. Christopher’s Hospital near London. He worked with terminally ill patients and their families during his time there. The experience was profound and influenced his decision to become a physician, his wife said.
He received his medical degree from the University of Virginia and completed a residency in internal medicine at Northwestern in 1981. He was a practicing rheumatologist.
As CEO of the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation through the 2000s, he represented hundreds of doctors affiliated with the Feinberg School of Medicine. He led the way on changes to the group’s insurance system and pushed for digitizing medical records and improved patient access to those records.
In 2009, he became the senior associate dean for external affairs for the Feinberg School.
Dr. Douglas Vaughan, chairman of the Department of Medicine at Feinberg and physician-in-chief of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, said Dr. Schroeder’s work ethic and curiosity were insatiable.
“He was always questioning things and always eager to learn, even when he was really sick,” Vaughan said. “He was hungry for new information. That was such a primary component of him and his approach to life. He was a very energetic character.”
As he struggled with leukemia, Dr. Schroeder learned everything he could about the disease.
“He told a few people, ‘It’s when you’re a doctor that you end up getting a disease you know nothing about,'” Carol Schroeder said. “He took a very thoughtful approach to that. He was a person who was not afraid of dying.”
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Dr. James Schroeder, leader of Northwestern medical faculty, dies at 62
