Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
Bradley H. Sevin, 81, of Haverford, award-winning psychiatrist, pioneering instructor at Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University Hospitals, cofounder of Hahnemann’s groundbreaking consultation liaison psychiatry department, researcher, mentor, gourmet cook, and avid gardener, died Tuesday, Sept. 23, of heart failure at the Quadrangle retirement community. A longtime expert in psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and psychosomatic medicine, Dr. Sevin was a pioneer of consultation liaison psychiatry in the 1970s and cofounded Hahnemann’s groundbreaking department in 1977. He and his colleagues examined closely how physical conditions can affect psychiatric symptoms, and they significantly improved patient care by better coordinating simultaneous treatment for both. In a 1987 paper called “Mitral Valve Prolapse, Panic States, and Anxiety: A Dilemma in Perspective,” Dr. Sevin reported on previous research regarding links between heart valve abnormalities and panic attacks. “They are of special relevance,” he said to open the article, “for the opportunity to apply the lessons learned.” For nearly four decades, from 1975 to his retirement in 2010, he treated patients in private practice and hospitals, and mentored other healthcare professionals at Pennsylvania and Hahnemann Hospitals, and the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Institute. He was affable and engaging, colleagues said, and he urged them to dig deep into their cases. Don’t stand in the doorway when talking to patients, he advised interns often. Pull up a chair, sit down, and talk with them face to face. He often saw a dozen patients a day, said his son, Joshua, and sometimes waived his fees so advancements would not be interrupted. Former colleague James Charney called him “larger than life” and “brilliant and modest” in a tribute. He said: “Brad was a man with great passions and approached life to the fullest no matter what he did.” Another former colleague, Arnold Feldman, said: “Bradley was a man with a great mind, and a caring heart, and incredible energy. He went beyond compassion.” He attended conferences and spoke at seminars about elder care and other health topics. He addressed colleagues at St. Luke’s Hospital in Allentown in 1977 and said: “Old people are still extremely productive. Problems arise because suddenly the aged patient is transferred from a familiar environment to an unknown environment. The aged fear isolation, pain, death, and being taken from family members.” He earned his medical degree in 1969 at what is now Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine and completed residencies in internal medicine and psychiatry, and a fellowship in psychosomatic medicine at what is now Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital. He wrote papers for the journal Psychiatric Clinics of North America and other publications. In 2002, he received the Practitioner of the Year award from the Philadelphia Psychiatric Society. At home, Dr. Sevin displayed handmade sculptures in his well-tended flower garden. He expertly perfected his favorite recipes from The Frog Commissary Cookbook and personally catered his daughter’s wedding. “He wasn’t just my father,” said his daughter, Jennifer Sevin-Sullivan. “He was my hero.” Bradley Harvey Sevin was born Nov. 11, 1943, in New Haven, Conn. He grew up with a sister, joined the Boy Scouts, and played catcher on the Hillhouse High School and Trinity College baseball teams. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Trinity in Connecticut in 1965 and completed an internal medicine residency at Temple and a psychiatry residency at the University of Washington. He met Elizabeth Guttman at the library in 1965 when both were medical students at Temple, and they married in 1968. They had a daughter, Jennifer, and a son Joshua, and lived in Wynnewood and Gladwyne. Dr. Sevin was a fashionista and music enthusiast, especially opera. He was a lifelong baseball fan, followed the Phillies closely, and was at Veterans Stadium when they won the 1980 World Series. Family and friends remember his bear hugs and natural enthusiasm for everything. Everybody said he was a good listener. “He truly wanted to hear what was going on with you,” his son said. He doted on his children and two granddaughters, and they all noted his “mirthful sense of humor” and “eruptive belly laughs.” His daughter said: “Dad had a gentleness, a kindness, a joy, and a light about him that touched everyone who met him.” In addition to his wife, children, and granddaughters, Dr. Sevin is survived by other relatives. His sister died earlier. A memorial service was held on Oct. 11.
