Dear AuntMinnie Member,
It is with much sadness that we report the passing of Dr. Phillip Berman, the founder of AuntMinnie.com. Phil died on Sunday, February 8, after a five-year struggle with lung cancer. He was 55 years old.
Phil was one of those amazing individuals who changed the lives of almost everyone he met. An accomplished radiologist and entrepreneur, he moved easily between the worlds of medicine and business, and he was a constant wellspring of ideas for new products and services that in many cases profoundly affected radiology. The term "visionary" is bandied about too often these days, but in Phil's case the label fit.
In early 1999, Phil saw the need for a Web site that would serve the interests of radiology with news, education, e-commerce, and other tools. In typical Phil fashion, because it didn't exist he decided to build it himself, and he shepherded AuntMinnie.com through ups and downs (fortunately, mostly ups) in the years after the dot-com bust. Had it not been for Phil's extraordinary vision and perseverance, it's unlikely that AuntMinnie.com would exist as you see it today.
When diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer in January 2004, Phil was told he had six months to live. He beat that estimate by five years, and along the way he continued the entrepreneurial spirit by founding RedToeNail.org, a Web site devoted to giving cancer survivors a forum for communicating with each other and with loved ones. For a final tribute to Phil, click here.
Goodbye, Phil. You will be missed.
