Robert MacFarlane, M.D., FASAM passed away this morning, June 29, 2006, in his office in San Diego, presumably from a massive MI. Dr. Bob, as he was affectionately known by his friends and patients, has been a pillar of sobriety in the San Diego area and throughout California for almost a quarter century. He has had a very busy office practice for over twenty years and pioneered home detoxification.
He was an active member of both the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the California Society of Addiction Medicine, serving on several committees including various conference planning committees and the CSAM Executive Council. Quiet and unassuming, Dr. MacFarlane was recently selected by his physician peers as a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, a prestigious honor held by only 220 physicians in the world.
Clean and sober for twenty-four years last October, Dr. Bob is known throughout the world for his chapter, "I Was Unique," in the Narcotic Anonymous Basic Text. He was active in Narcotics Anonymous World Service and traveled to China to carry a message of recovery to the addicts who live there. He was selfless in his dedication to bring humane treatment to all those who suffer from addiction and to educate the public and his peers about the disease of addiction.
You may remember Dr. Bob from his role in staffing the Narcotics Anonymous booth at countless CSAM meetings and ASAM Med Sci Conferences over the past twenty years. The CSAM Regional Meetings were organized by Dr. Bob in the San Diego region. In addition, he also organized the Mutual Help meetings at CSAM conferences and carried a message of hope to many physicians new to recovery.
He is succeeded by his wife Jeanne, son Andy, grandson, Justin, and his two daughters Katie and Trayce. Services will be held in San Diego. For details please contact Dr. Shannon Chavez at schavez@ucsd.edu.
Dr. Bob will be missed by us all.
Donald J. Kurth, M.D., FASAM
Past President, California Society of Addiction Medicine
Treasurer, American Society of Addiction Medicine
Clean and sober for twenty-four years last October, Dr. Bob is known throughout the world for his chapter, "I Was Unique," in the Narcotic Anonymous Basic Text. He was active in Narcotics Anonymous World Service and traveled to China to carry a message of recovery to the addicts who live there. He was selfless in his dedication to bring humane treatment to all those who suffer from addiction and to educate the public and his peers about the disease of addiction.
You may remember Dr. Bob from his role in staffing the Narcotics Anonymous booth at countless CSAM meetings and ASAM Med Sci Conferences over the past twenty years. The CSAM Regional Meetings were organized by Dr. Bob in the San Diego region. In addition, he also organized the Mutual Help meetings at CSAM conferences and carried a message of hope to many physicians new to recovery.
He is succeeded by his wife Jeanne, son Andy, grandson, Justin, and his two daughters Katie and Trayce. Services will be held in San Diego. For details please contact Dr. Shannon Chavez at schavez@ucsd.edu.
Dr. Bob will be missed by us all.
Donald J. Kurth, M.D., FASAM
Past President, California Society of Addiction Medicine
Treasurer, American Society of Addiction Medicine