Farewell to a great family medicine educator

Mathis Blackstock, M.D., 1925-2012

TAFP life member and longtime residency program faculty Mathis Blackstock, M.D., passed away on Tuesday, July 3, from melanoma that had spread. He was 87.

Blackstock practiced family medicine for more than 40 years and served as faculty for the University of Texas Southwestern – Austin Family Medicine Residency Program for 30 years. Until recently, he remained involved with former patients, doctors, and family medicine residents at his namesake clinic, Blackstock Family Health Center in Austin, the Austin American-Statesman reports.

“He was the type of doctor that patients would gravitate to,” David Wright, M.D., TAFP member and fellow faculty member, told the Statesman. “He knew medicine very, very well, but at the same time, he was interested in what you were going through and what you needed. And it wasn’t just you as an individual; he took care of your whole family. He, more than anybody else that has been associated with the training programs, taught all of us ... how to be doctors.”

Blackstock was passionate about geriatrics, indigent health care, and access to health care. He helped create Austin Groups for the Elderly, a non-profit committed to providing resources for the area’s seniors, adults with disabilities, and their caregivers.

TAFP named Blackstock Physician Emeritus in 2007, recognizing his long and meritorious service to family medicine. In nomination letters for the award, his patients described his dedication to their health, providing care after hours, on weekends, and in their own homes. They also talked about his patience and willingness to listen to all of their concerns.

He was awarded a bachelor’s degree by the University of Texas at Austin in 1944, his medical degree by the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1948, and he completed a general practice residency at the University of Colorado Medical Center in 1953. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Mary, and three children.