Dr. Joel Snider, an internal medicine physician, who has served with EBNHC for over 35 years, has retired.
I finally retired after 36.5 enjoyable years at EBNHC to pursue many mostly non-medical interests, said Dr. Snider.
Dr. Snider, a Cambridge resident began his career teaching primary care medicine at Boston City Hospital, now Boston Medical Center, and was recruited by Dr. James Taylor, one of the founders of EBNHC.† Snider has been described as being passionate about working with diverse populations, and has compassionately cared for many generations of residents over the years.† He helped lead the Center s home care initiative to ensure that elderly residents and others who were chronically ill could remain in their homes.† Moderately fluent in Spanish, Snider feels connected to the Center s Latino population and spent time as a physician in rural Colombia, a country from which many EBNHC patients hail.
I enjoy working with the many diverse populations we serve, said Dr. Snider. I prefer to work where I m needed, where I can do the most good.† For our patients, EBNHC is an innovative resource that helps them remain healthy and safe, and it s an honor and a privilege to be an integral part of their health care team.
Dr. Snider graduated from Columbia College and received his degree in medicine from Duke Medical School.
My residencies and a 2 year stint in the U.S. Public Health Service Chronic Disease division brought me to Boston, said Dr. Snider. I taught and practiced Internal Medicine at Boston City Hospital /Boston University Medical Center for four years and was then lured to EBNHC by Dr. James Taylor with promises of an active inpatient role taking care of my patients.
Dr. Snider said he truly enjoyed working with the changing ethnic/immigrant demographic of Eastie, learning some medical Italian after arriving in Eastie when it was a predominantly Italian American neighborhood.
I ve been moderately fluent in Spanish, helped by a two month stint in a rural Colombian hospital near Medellin and have surprised many of my Colombian patients with my knowledge of Antioquia, he said. I had worked with a Nurse Practitioner at BMC and encouraged the introduction of mid-levels to Adult Medicine. I especially enjoyed working in Home Care with a great team of nurses and nurse practitioners, keeping many homebound, chronically ill elderly safe at home while avoiding unnecessary hospital and Emergency Room visits.
Dr. Snider recalled late one night going to an elderly man s dark bedroom to suture a scalp wound while his wife held a flashlight and assisted.
I ve taken care of several generations of the same family on occasion and attended numerous wakes of former patients, especially when visiting patients in hospital was our norm, he said. I used to make morning rounds and then return sometimes after dinner at home to see newly admitted patients as late as 11 p.m., but I m a night owl anyway.
Dr. Snider said over the years he has especially enjoyed the very supportive administration and adult medicine staff and the warm welcome from the local community.
I want to thank the East Boston community for an enjoyable career, he said.