Dr. Jorge L. Rodriguez, 71, died June 3, 2024, at his home. Born in Holguín, Cuba, he and his family came to the United States in 1960 and settled in West New York, New Jersey.

Jorge graduated from Columbia University in 1975 and then attended the University of Virginia School of Medicine, from which he graduated in 1979. He completed a residency in anesthesiology and a fellowship in critical care medicine at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York. He then began a surgical residency at the University of Louisville, where he met his wife of thirty-nine years, Shelia Rodriguez (née Powell), in 1983.

Jorge joined the faculty of the University of Buffalo in the Department of Surgery, where he focused his expertise on providing burn care at Erie County Medical Center. He later joined the faculty of the University of Michigan, where he pioneered the combination of burn and trauma care at the University of Michigan’s Trauma Burn Center, and served as Chief of Surgery at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He joined the University of Louisville as a Professor of Surgery in 2001, where he developed a practice in bariatric surgery. Throughout his career, Jorge loved and valued education, and taught anyone who would listen. Jorge left the practice of surgery in 2015.

Jorge loved being with his family, deep sea fishing, sports (particularly baseball), and discussing current events. He was always interested in the thoughts of others and never hesitated to share his own.

Jorge is survived by his wife, Shelia, and sons Román (Janelle) and Gabriel (Meaghen), as well as his brother, Leonardo, and countless family and friends, including Raúl Garcia and George Alan Wardle. He is predeceased by his parents, Leonardo and Mercedes.