Laurence Beck

Laurence H. Beck is a widely known internist and nephrologist whose distinguished career has combined academic medicine with research, clinical practice, and health care system administration at some of the nation’s most respected institutions. Now recently retired from full-time practice, he spent more than a decade in leadership positions at the Cleveland Clinic Florida, where he served as Chairman of the Division of Medicine and subsequently, Medical Director of the Health and Wellness Center. He currently serves in an adjunct capacity as instructor/attending at the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.

Previous appointments include Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center, and Executive Vice President, Clinical Program and Process Improvement, at the Geisinger Health System. Prior to that, Larry was affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania in various academic and administrative capacities for a period of over 15 years – among them, Vice-Chairman of the Department of Medicine, Director of the Program in Geriatric Medicine, and Counselor to the President for Health Policy.

Larry has authored or co-authored well over 50 publications, including original papers and book chapters, in the field of nephrology and geriatric medicine, and has been on the editorial boards of major journals, including the Journal of Gerontology and the Annals of Internal Medicine. He has also been visiting professor at academic institutions across the country and lectured frequently on topics that range from clinical management and treatment guidelines to disease prevention and the challenges of healthcare systems integration.

Larry received his BA from Amherst College and his MD from Harvard Medical School, followed by postgraduate training at Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Selected Publications

Beck LH: Renal system, fluid and electrolytes. Current Geriatric Diagnosis and Treatment. Landefeld CS (eds.). McGraw-Hill, 2004.

Haffizulla JM, Haffizulla FS, Haffizulla KD, Beck LH: A dangerous encounter with naphthalene. Hospital Physician Page: 61-64, 2002.

Beck LH: Update in preventive medicine. Ann Intern Med 134: 128-35, 2001.

Beck LH: Should the actual or the corrected serum sodium be used to calculate the anion gap in diabetic ketoacidosis? Cleveland Clin J Med Page: 673-74, 2001.

Beck LH: Fluid and electrolyte balance in the elderly. Nephrology and Geriatrics Integrated. Oreopoulos DG (eds.). 2000`

Beck LH: Screening and preventive health practices for the ESRD patient. Renal Repl Ther Page: 195-201, 2000.

Beck LH: Introduction: Primary Care of The End-Stage Renal Disease Patient. Adv Renal Repl Therapy 7: 193-94, 2000.

Beck LH: The Aging Kidney. Defending a delicate balance of fluid and electrolytes. Geriatrics Page: 26-32, 2000.

Beck LH: Training and Education. Nephrology and Geriatrics Integrated. Oreopoulos DG (eds.). 2000.

Beck LH, Kumar SP: Update in Preventative Medicine. Ann Intern Med Page: 681-87, 1999.