Thomas Hull Cogbill died peacefully at his home on Saturday, December 31, 2022 as a result of advanced prostate cancer.
Tom was born on December 12, 1952 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to Bell and Helen (Kellogg) Cogbill. Tom graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974 and then completed a Bachelor of Medical Science Degree in 1975. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1977 and then completed his internship and residency with the Department of Surgery at the University of Colorado Medical Center.
In 1982, Tom joined Gundersen Clinic in La Crosse, Wisconsin as a general surgeon with a focus on vascular and trauma surgery, where he practiced until 2017. He served on the Medical Governors and the Executive Committee in addition to being the Department of Surgery Chair. From 1990 to 2009, Tom was the Program Director of the General Surgery Residency with the Gundersen Medical Foundation. He was also a Clinical Professor of Surgery for the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Tom was a Director of the American Board of Surgery from 2006 until 2013 and served as its Chair from 2012 to 2013. He was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and he was a member of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, where he started the Multi-Institutional Research Committee.
Tom was a member of the Western Trauma Association, the American Board of Family Medicine, the American Surgical Association, the Western Surgical Association, the Wisconsin Surgical Society (President) and the Wisconsin Surgical Club. Tom served on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, the World Journal of Surgery, and Injury, and he contributed to medical and surgical scientific literature throughout his career. He was especially interested in rural surgery and reducing disparities in rural healthcare.
Being outdoors was one of the greatest passions of Tom’s life. He completed 25 marathons, 32 American Birkebeiner and two Norwegian Birkebeiner nordic ski races, and two Ironman Triathlons throughout his lifetime. He loved camping, climbing in the Tetons, mountain biking, alpine skiing in fresh Western powder, pickleball, sailing, and open water swimming with his wife Jan at their home in Cable, Wisconsin.
In June 1977, Tom married Jan Anderson in Brunswick, Maine. Tom is survived by Jan; his sons, Christopher (former wife Elizabeth) Cogbill and Andrew (Cassandra) Cogbill; his daughter, Allison (Lars) Bland; and his grandchildren: Grant, Evelyn, Ethan, Alder, Violet, and Wilson. He is also survived by his siblings, Anne (Jonathan) Rose, Vicky Cooper, and Charles (Rachel) Cogbill. Tom was preceded in death by his parents.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Gundersen Medical Foundation (Kisken/Cogbill Fund), the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation, the North End Ski Club, or the Western Trauma Association Foundation.
