Karen Moss Glaser, 65, senior associate dean at Jefferson

Karen Moss Glaser, 65, of Philadelphia, senior associate dean for academic affairs at Thomas Jefferson University's Sidney Kimmel Medical College, died Wednesday, Nov. 12, of injuries she suffered in a pedestrian accident.

Dr. Glaser died Wednesday evening at Einstein Medical Center three hours after being struck by an SUV while walking to her car from the Mount Airy Station on the Chestnut Hill East Regional Rail line.

The driver stayed at the accident scene on Sprague Street, near Gowen Avenue. An investigation continues.

Dr. Glaser, who held dual appointments as associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and also Family and Community Medicine, spent 30 years at Jefferson.

In a statement to Jefferson's staff marking her death, provost Mark L. Tykocinski said Dr. Glaser's service to the university "was characterized by her passionate commitment to equity and concern for the well-being of the community."

As associate dean, "she was a trusted adviser to me and a compassionate listener and academic adviser to students in need. She was extremely active in all phases of curriculum planning and implementation," he wrote, "and her wisdom, empathy, and good humor will be greatly missed."

As an associate professor, Dr. Glaser developed the behavioral curriculum for family medicine residency and clerkships, Tykocinski wrote. She also served as the university's affirmative-action officer from 1994 to 2013.

Christine Arenson, interim chair of family and community medicine, circulated a similar message to Jefferson faculty, describing Dr. Glaser as "a tireless advocate for 'doing the right thing' by our students, our faculty, and the public."

"Her door was always open - for faculty, staff, and students," Arenson wrote. "She literally touched each of us here at Jefferson."

Dr. Glaser graduated from Cornell University in 1970 and earned a master's degree in education in 1971 from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a doctoral degree in educational psychology in 1981 at Penn.

She was board certified as a Pennsylvania guidance counselor in 1971 and as a school psychologist two years later.

Her duties at Jefferson University included studying how doctors behaved toward their patients and whether patient perception of doctors' empathy influenced clinical outcomes. She cowrote and had published several research papers on the topic.

Despite heavy work responsibilities, Dr. Glaser did many other things well. She was a brilliant mother, said daughter Lena.

"She had an amazing gift for communication. One of the greatest gifts she gave as a mother was she never told us what to do. She led by example," her daughter said.

"Another was that she continued to give and give and give and never asked for anything in return."

Dr. Glaser loved sports and conveyed that love to her daughter, now a TV sports producer in New York.

Dr. Glaser also participated in sports. She rode horses, rowed in graduate school, and played recreational softball, said her stepson Simon.

"She went trail riding with her granddaughter as recently as last summer," he said.

She loved playing the guitar and taking active vacations. Typically, the family would rent a cottage on Cape Cod, drive to Florida, or hike in the Shenandoah Mountains.

Above all, Dr. Glaser was "full of joy," her stepson said.

She married Richard Glaser in 1977, and the two made their home in Mount Airy.

Dr. Glaser was active in alumni affairs for Cornell, and worked to recruit and interview prospective students. Her daughter is a Cornell graduate.

She was a member of the Germantown Jewish Centre.

In addition to her husband, stepson, and daughter, Dr. Glaser is survived by another stepson, Zachary; her mother, Ruth Futterman Moss; four grandchildren; and a sister.

The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, at Joseph Levine & Sons Memorial Chapel, 4737 Street Rd., Trevose. Interment will follow in Montefiore Cemetery.

Donations may be made to the LoveYourBrain Foundation via http://www.loveyourbrain.org/donate/. The group aids the families of those with traumatic brain injuries.

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