Dr. James E. Youker, Former Chair of Radiology, Dies June 12 at Age 94

It is with great sadness that the Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Radiology notes the passing of Dr. James Youker, former chair and professor emeritus of Radiology. Dr. Youker passed peacefully on June 12 at Angel’s Grace Hospice in Oconomowoc, WI, at the age of 94. He is survived by his wife, Sally Youker; his children and their spouses - Elizabeth Youker Rice (Richard), James David Youker (Kerry), Britt Taner (Kerim); and eight grandchildren - Austin, Courtney, Mitchell, Thomas, Chandler, Ashley, Jane and Leyal.

Dr. James Youker’s life was one of service - to the medical community, to our nation and to our patients. Born in Cooperstown, New York, Dr. Youker stayed in his home state for both his undergraduate degree from Colgate University and his medical doctorate from the University of Buffalo School of Medicine. His residency in radiology at the University of Minnesota was briefly put on hold for two years of military service as chief of radiology at a U.S. Naval Hospital. Following residency, Dr. Youker held positions at the Medical College of Virginia, the University of California San Francisco, and as a research fellow at the University of Lund in Sweden before accepting a position as Chair of Radiology for the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1968.

For the next 45 years, Dr. Youker would lead the MCW Department of Radiology. His length of service granted him the distinction of being the nation’s longest serving academic chair at the time, and his leadership would inspire his residents and faculty to such a degree that he would see their children grow up to become radiology residents, still under his tutelage. He holds gold medals, the highest level of award and distinction, from the Association of University Radiologists, the Radiological Society of North America, the American Roentgen Ray Society and the American College of Radiology. His name is nationally recognized and respected from decades of leadership to the medical community, including as president of the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments, the Wisconsin State Radiological Society and the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Executive Committee. He holds the distinction as the only radiologist to hold this leadership role at ABMS.

Dr. Youker’s leadership helped form MCW as we know it today. He chaired the Committee to Form a Faculty Organization at MCW in 1968 and served on ten MCW department chair search committees, as well as the search committee for the President of MCW. He helped found the Department of Radiation Oncology and later the Department of Biophysics, both of which initially resided in his department. He served on the MCW Board of Directors as well as numerous committees at MCW, Milwaukee County General Hospital, and Froedtert Hospital. He received the MCW Distinguished Service Award in 1989 in recognition of his many contributions.

Academically, Dr. Youker was a prolific researcher and chaired the Conjoint Committee on Diagnostic Radiology at the National Institutes of Health, which served to enhance research and education in radiology nationally. He also chaired the Radiology Residency Review Committee of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and served as a Trustee of the American Board of Radiology. He was a master educator as illustrated by his receiving an MCW Medical Student Outstanding Teaching Award at age 90.

Upon his stepping down as department chair in 2014, MCW established the James E. Youker Endowed Professorship in Radiology to honor Dr. Youker’s many legacies, some of which were recounted in the interview Dr. Youker gave for The History of MCW – Our Voices, Our Legacies.

Dr. Youker was an inspiration, admired and respected by his colleagues and trainees, cherished by his patients and loved by his family. His passing is an enormous loss for his family, friends, MCW, the medical profession and the patients and students he affected.

A memorial will be held for Dr. James Youker at the Noble Victory Memorial Chapel at St. John's Northwestern Academies, 1101 Genesee St., Delafield, WI 53018, on Wednesday, July 19, at 2 p.m. Please note the updated location and time. Friends, family, and colleagues are welcome as we come together not only to mourn his passing, but to celebrate his life and the privilege of being part of it. (memorial information updated 7/5/23)

In memory of Dr. Youker, we continue to honor his legacy through the James E. Youker, MD Endowed Professorship in Radiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Gifts to the James E. Youker, MD Endowed Professorship fund honor his career as an educator and physician, ensures that his outstanding legacy endures, and resources will remain available to help the Department maintain its excellence in education, patient care and research. Gifts may be made online. Under gift designation select “other” and indicate “Youker Professorship”. Checks may be made out to the Medical College of Wisconsin and mailed Attn: Institutional Advancement to P.O. Box 26509, Milwaukee, WI 53226-0509. If you have questions regarding making a gift in memory of Dr. Youker, please reach out to Hailey Hennessy, Director of Development at hhennessy@mcw.edu.