“A variety of what he did was create a household,” mentioned Dr. John Stelling, who codirected and cofounded, with Dr. O’Brien, the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre for Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance. “Everybody contributes their little bit, and their little bit in combination tells rather a lot about rising threats in near actual time.”
Dr. O’Brien, who had served as the primary director of the infectious ailments division at what’s now Brigham and Women’s Hospital, died Monday in his Brookline home. He was 95 and his well being had been failing. His spouse, Ruth Reardon O’Brien, who was the second woman partner at the Ropes & Gray law firm, was 92 when she died Thursday of their residence.
“He was one of many very first individuals to name consideration to the dangers of antimicrobial resistance growing,” mentioned Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s and a professor at Harvard Medical School.
Kuritzkes added that Dr. O’Brien additionally emphasised the danger of antimicrobial resistance spreading “from individual to individual, significantly in a well being care setting,” and the potential that it “might restrict the effectiveness of antibiotics on which we rely to save lots of sufferers’ lives.”
Along with being an internationally acknowledged determine in his area, Dr. O’Brien “was a beautiful individual to have as a colleague and was terribly modest, given his unbelievable accomplishments all through his profession,” Kuritzkes mentioned.
With monumental power that sustained him by a profession that spanned more than 60 years at Brigham and Women’s and Harvard Medical School, the place he was an affiliate professor, Dr. O’Brien was 90 when he retired in 2019.
At that time, he was working with Stelling on the WHONET antimicrobial research operation they cofounded. Stelling mentioned WHONET is now in use by greater than 3,000 laboratories in additional than 130 international locations.
He introduced the identical countless power to residence life in Brookline, the place he and Ruth raised their six youngsters.
“Science has mentioned there’s no such factor as perpetual movement, however my father was proof that that was incorrect,” mentioned his son Conan O’Brien, the late evening TV discuss present host and podcaster. “My father was in fixed movement. And he was desirous about all the things — completely all the things.”
From household to colleagues and pals, Dr. O’Brien “beloved making connections with individuals,” mentioned Justin, the youngest of the O’Brien youngsters.
Reunions, Dr. O’Brien’s or anybody else’s, had been all the time a draw.
“My mom as soon as mentioned she thought he loved her reunions greater than she did,” Justin mentioned. “He actually beloved assembly individuals and listening to their tales and attending to know them in a really significant approach.”
A fan and a pupil of humor who had watched late evening discuss reveals throughout his years as a medical resident, Dr. O’Brien made positive his youngsters knew comedy’s classics, introducing them to recordings of Jack Benny’s radio reveals, Charlie Chaplin films, and Marx Brothers films.
“The loudest I’ve ever heard anyone chortle was sitting subsequent to him in a theater watching Peter Sellers in a ‘Pink Panther’ film,” Conan mentioned.
Anyone who solely knew Dr. O’Brien by his work “would assume, ‘What an interesting man,’” Conan mentioned. “But he was usually the funniest man within the room. And when he would chortle, his entire physique would convulse and he would nearly hug himself.”
The second of three siblings, Thomas Francis O’Brien was born in Worcester on Jan. 28, 1929. He spent his early childhood in Millbury and was in his early teenagers when his household moved to Southbridge.
His father, Francis Noonan O’Brien, was a banker, and his mom, Gertrude Connor O’Brien, was a homemaker.
Graduating from Mary E. Wells High School in Southbridge in 1946, Dr. O’Brien attended the College of the Holy Cross and obtained a bachelor’s diploma in classics in 1950. He graduated from Harvard Medical School 4 years later, did his residency at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, and had an immunology fellowship at Cambridge University in England earlier than serving within the Army Medical Corps for 2 years in San Antonio.
Two of his Holy Cross classmates had been brothers of Ruth Reardon, whom he met when he went to their household’s home at some point. They married in 1958.
Other than the Army, Dr. O’Brien spent his medical profession at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s, the place he additionally previously was director of the microbiology laboratory.
Though Dr. O’Brien was greatest identified for his work in antimicrobial drug resistance, “early in his profession, he produced the primary gadget” that allowed sufferers to bear hemodialysis greater than as soon as utilizing the identical vein website, Kuritzkes mentioned in his e-mail to Brigham and Women’s colleagues. That growth helped acute renal failure sufferers bear hemodialysis extra often, which improved their well being outcomes.
As head of the hospital’s microbiology lab, Dr. O’Brien’s administration type mirrored his private method to studying the private tales of everybody he met — which meant he even fashioned a bond with the in a single day crew.
“He knew the man who was there from 11 to 7, 5 nights every week,” mentioned Holly Bodman, former technical director of the microbiology lab. “He cared about each individual individually in that lab. He was a tremendous gentleman, a beautiful man.”
In addition to his sons Conan and Justin, Dr. O’Brien leaves two different sons, Neal of Brookline and Luke of Holliston; two daughters, Kate of Boston and Jane of San Anselmo, Calif.; and 9 grandchildren.
A funeral Mass for Dr. O’Brien and Ruth Reardon O’Brien will probably be mentioned at 11 a.m. Wednesday in St. Lawrence Church in Brookline.
When Dr. O’Brien returned from his work-related world travels, Conan mentioned, “he’d come by the door and begin making large meals” for a crowd across the dinner desk that always edged into double-digits.
Then he may head off to a marsh, having heard {that a} uncommon heron was making an area look.
Dr. O’Brien “all the time mentioned to me, rising up, that should you ever have an opportunity to do one thing, do it. It wasn’t rather more outlined than that,” Justin mentioned. “I believe his level was that you just’re all the time going to finish up assembly somebody or having some sort of journey and getting one thing out of no matter you’re doing that can profit your life.”
Conan mentioned their father “had a voracious urge for food for concepts and folks and the loopy selection and irony of life. He wished to go all over the place, meet everyone, see all the things, style all the things.”
And that enthusiasm made Dr. O’Brien a favourite of all he met.
“For the remainder of my time on earth I will probably be listening to from individuals who wish to discuss with me about my dad,” Conan mentioned. “I’ve by no means met anybody like him, and he occurs to be my father. If I met him randomly in a lodge foyer, I’d assume, ‘Who the hell is that this man? He’s probably the most attention-grabbing individual I’ve ever met.’ “
Bryan Marquard may be reached at bryan.marquard@globe.com.
