Gardella, former HMS dean of student affairs, dies at 86

Joseph Warren Gardella ’41, former dean of student affairs at Harvard Medical School (HMS), died June 12 at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

Following his graduation from Harvard, the former Crimson football captain entered the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He received his M.D. degree from Johns Hopkins in 1944.

In 1951, Gardella became a research associate at HMS and a research fellow at the Huntington Laboratories at MGH. He spent the remainder of his professional life associated with both institutions, working his way to dean of student affairs at HMS and senior physician at MGH. He helped to establish the Internal Medical Associates at MGH in 1972.

A memorial service will be held at the Memorial Church on Friday, Oct. 5, at 3 p.m. Donations can be made to the Joseph W. Gardella, M.D., Memorial Fund to benefit the John D. Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation. Checks may be payable to MGH and sent to the MGH Development Office, 100 Charles River Plaza, Suite 600, Boston, MA 02114-2792.