Surprise, sadness, and grief spread through the Department of Pediatrics as members learned that Murray Katcher, MD, PhD, emeritus professor of pediatrics, had unexpectedly died on July 13 following complications from a fall. Katcher joined the Department of Pediatrics in 1978 after his pediatric residency at the then UW Medical School and retired in 2012. He spent 35 very active and consequential years as both a clinician and a focused, tireless advocate for the health and safety of children and vulnerable adults.
His efforts resulted in the passage of a Wisconsin law in 1987 to regulate standard water heater temperature settings. Many small children and elderly adults had suffered third-degree burns from scalding 150-degree water, which was the typical setting on water heaters before Katcher’s long and rigorous campaign to regulate water heater temperature. There is now a nationwide 120-degree standard setting. It is just one example of Katcher’s many efforts throughout his career to reduce preventable injury of children and vulnerable adults with data, discussion, information campaigns, and, when necessary, legislation.
Katcher was also one of four chief medical officers for the State of Wisconsin, holding the position of Wisconsin State Maternal and Child Health Director in the Department of Health Services (DHS) from 1985 to 1991, and later in the early 2000s. He served with several other community health-related organizations, health advocacy agencies, and boards. He was also a founding co-director of the Wisconsin Area Health Education Center (AHEC) system (1991-97). He had a long record of experience with community-based organizations, public health, and American Indian and Amish communities in Wisconsin.
The Murray Katcher Child Health Advocacy Lecture, an annual lecture that was inaugurated April 13, 2023, with a talk by Dr. Katcher, will continue to feature speakers who exemplify Katcher’s focus and determination in child safety advocacy. Katcher’s work and legacy continues as new generations of physicians dedicate themselves to child health and safety.
Katcher’s colleague, Dipesh Navsaria, MPH, MSLIS, MD, professor in the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, wrote an article commemorating Katcher for the Capital Times, which appeared on July 20, 2024: “Murray Katcher a hero for Wisconsin Children.”
Katcher’s obituary appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal on July 21, 2024.