Ronald S. David, M.D., 80, died Feb. 10, 2020.
Dr. David was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. He obtained his bachelor’s and medical degrees from Stanford University, and after a stint in the Army, went on for specialty training in psychiatry at the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center in New York City and a fellowship in administrative psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He became director of outpatient services at the Soundview-Throgs Neck Community Mental Health Center in the East Bronx. He then returned to his Western roots in the equivalent position at the Southern Arizona Mental Health Center in Tucson.
His major professional interest was the direct treatment of patients and he maintained a practice in psychiatry and psychotherapy with a specific interest in psychoanalysis. He was a founding member of COPE, a regional public mental health center, and the medical director or managing partner of several private practice groups.
Dr. David spent 30 years as a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. He was a past president of the Tucson Psychiatric Society, held several board positions at the state level and was awarded the position of Life Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association for his multiple contributions to the field. On the community level he has served on multiple neighborhood, city, and county committees, and on the board of The Borderlands Theater in Tucson.
Dr. David is survived by his partner, Madeleine Lapointe; children, Diana of Hong Kong and Sam of St. Paul, Minnesota; five grandchildren; two stepchildren and three step-grandchildren.
A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alliance on Mental Illness of Southern Arizona.
