Brad Cohen, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon in Miami Beach, Florida, died in the Champagne Towers South partial collapse in Surfside on June 24.
Cohen, 51, was in the condo with his visiting older brother Gary Cohen, 58, also a doctor. Neither of them survived the collapse. His wife, Soraya, and two children were not home at the time of the collapse.
A member of the Shul of Bal Harbour, Cohen was described by his fellow congregants as “kind, patient, loving and a lifelong learner, motivated by the pursuit of knowledge and an innate curiosity about the world around him”.
Cohen grew up in the New York, New Jersey area of the United States and spent a lot of time at his grandparents’ home in Great Neck, New York.
His mother said she will always remember how Brad danced to his own tune. She said, “You are the youngest of our three sons. So curious, fun-loving, quick to learn and adventurous…I would give anything for this terrible accident to never have happened.”
Cohen owned Aventura Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine with offices in North Miami and Miami Beach. He earned his undergraduate degree in computer science from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He went on to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine for his medical degree.
Cohen’s general surgery internship and orthopedic surgery residency was at the State University of Stony Brook, New York and he completed a sports medicine fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Cohen’s specialty was sports medicine with a focus on disorders of the shoulder, knee, and elbow. He was affiliated with the Surgery Center of Aventura and the Aventura Hospital and Medical Center in Aventura, Florida as well as Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach and North Shore Medical Center in Miami.
While he was renowned for his surgical skill, Cohen always preferred to look for nonsurgical solutions for orthopedic injuries when possible. He was also a member of several medical associations including the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Too young, Dr. Cohen left his family, friends, patients, and our broader orthopedic community.
