Emmett Leith
Emmett Leith, a professor known widely as one of the founders of modern holography, died Dec. 23 at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. He was 78.
In 1964, Leith and colleague Juris Upatnieks displayed a revolutionary laser transmission hologram of a toy train at the Optical Society Spring Conference. The technology caused such a buzz that people rushed from the room to see the hologram in a neighboring suite after the researchers presented the paper, Leith recalled for a 2003 Michigan Engineer article.
“Many of them thought it was done with mirrors,” Leith told the Michigan Engineer. “A few wanted to know where the train was. I said, ‘It’s back in Ann Arbor.'”
When Leith, the Schlumberger Professor of Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Upatnieks presented the work, the field was undeveloped. Between 1961-64 they presented a series of talks to the Optical Society of America outlining three major advances in holography that have made many of today’s applications—from credit card security to the aerospace industry—possible.
Leith worked on a military radar program at the U-M Institute of Science and Technology at Willow Run, and rediscovered the principles of holography as a member of a group working to produce images with resolution comparable to aerial photography.
Leith’s work in holography was similar to that of Nobel Prize winner Dennis Gabor, a Hungarian/British scientist who had a breakthrough in the area in 1947. Leith was unaware of Gabor’s work, and told the Michigan Engineer he was “disappointed” but heartened that credible theory existed already to support his research.
Kim Winick, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, was a student of Leith’s, and recalls a humble, yet brilliant, man with a long list of accomplishments, including graduating 41 doctoral students. Leith had two students studying with him when he died, Winick says, and although his retirement was only a few days away, he says Leith was not about to turn in his lab coat.
“He didn’t necessarily want to retire,” Winick said. “He really loved the work he did.”
Leith was born in Detroit and worked at the University for 52 years. He is survived by his wife, June, and daughters, Pam Wilder of San Jose, Calif., and Kim Leith of Baltimore; and three grandchildren.
Dr. Thomas Carli
Dr. Thomas Carli, a U-M psychiatrist who devoted his career to transforming the way mental and physical health care is delivered, died Dec. 9 at the University Hospital after complications from treatment for a rare form of cancer. He was 59.
Colleagues remember Carli, an assistant dean and associate professor of psychiatry at the Medical School, as a man driven to improve the way patients with chronic illnesses of all kinds are cared for, and to integrate care for mental illnesses with that for physical illness.
“Tom was dedicated to the care of the seriously mentally ill, the uninsured, the chronically ill, and those with complicated illness that our complex health systems are not well designed to care for,” says Dr. John Billi, U-M Health System (UMHS) associate vice president for medical affairs. “He was dedicated to nothing less than redesigning how healthcare can and must be delivered better, centered on the needs of the patient. His insight, compassion and optimism will be missed by patients, colleagues and friends.”
Carli’s credentials include leadership of many programs launched by UMHS that created new ways to serve patients, and participation in state and national initiatives. A past president of the Michigan Psychiatric Society, he was a member of the Michigan Mental Health Commission, appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to advise on the problems and opportunities facing the state’s mental health system.
Carli was founding medical director of the UMHS Medical Management Center, and he co-developed and served as founding medical director for Partnership Health, a joint program between UMHS and Ford Motor Company focused on chronic illnesses.
He also helped create, and functioned as the founding medical director of, the Washtenaw Community Health Organization, an innovative program jointly operated by UMHS and Washtenaw County that provides for the medical and mental health needs of the mentally ill and underinsured in Ann Arbor and surrounding towns. He recently was named medical director of the Washtenaw Health Plan, a program that serves the county’s uninsured residents.
“His passing is a profound loss for all,” says Medical School Dean Dr. Allen S. Lichter. “His vision for improving the health of the chronically ill and underserved will continue to inspire and motivate others who deliver patient-centered care.”
Carli served as medical director for behavioral health at M-CARE and on U-M’s Pharmaceutical Benefit Oversight Committee, which overhauled the prescription drug benefit for the University’s faculty and staff.
He recently was named director of community programs and public policy for the U-M Depression Center, the nation’s first comprehensive center devoted to treatment, research, education and public policy in depression and related disorders.
“We have lost one of our very best and most caring physicians,” says UMHS CEO and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs Dr. Robert Kelch. “We will remember Tom in many ways—compassionate physician, superb teacher, and advocate for improving health, especially of those less advantaged. He continuously enriched our personal and professional lives and served as a leading role model for everyone in the Health System.”
Carli received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Wayne State University in 1968 and graduated from the U-M Medical School in 1972. After completing his residency and chief residency at U-M and the University of British Columbia, Carli worked in emergency psychiatry at the University and then practiced psychiatry for four years in Ann Arbor.
Carli is survived by his wife, Laura Nitzberg, a faculty member in psychiatry and social work at U-M, and their daughter, Anna; sons Tatha and Nikos from a previous marriage, and daughter-in-law, Kimberly (Stec) Carli.
A memorial service will be announced later this month. In lieu of flowers contributions can be made either to the Anna Carli Education Fund, c/o U-M Medical School, M7319 Med Sci I, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-0624, or Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 51 Locust Ave., Suite 201, New Canaan, CT, 06840.
—Submitted by Kara Gavin, UMHS Public Relations
