Joel Oppenheim was a wise and generous man. We were fortunate to work with him when he joined the CBMM External Advisory Committee (EAC) at its inception in 2014, and got to know him well because he served as an advisor for our diversity and outreach programs. Joel was dedicated to helping others. Though he was already a senior figure in the field and not always in good health, he attended every EAC meeting, always giving helpful feedback and contributing to lively discussions about the future of CBMM. One of his great pleasures was to travel to MIT every summer to meet with the CBMM summer interns. He would  spend hours in one on one meetings with students, giving them encouragement and individual advice. He was very generous with his time. Students always found him extremely approachable, compassionate and honest in his assessments. He often attended the CBMM summer poster session at the end of the program, and last attended the poster session on August 2023.  The CBMM Diversity effort has been one of the best initiatives in the history of CBMM, mentioned by NSF as a great example for its STCs. This one of the reasons we will miss Joel so much. Very few individuals were so committed to and effective in the advancement of diversity and inclusion.

From NYU Langone Health - "The Passing of Dr. Joel D. Oppenheim" (PDF)