Longtime CBS New York chief medical correspondent Dr. Max Gomez, affectionately known as Dr. Max, died Saturday after a long illness, the station reported. He was 72.
Gomez was a medical reporter and health editor for WCBS-TV from 1994-1997 before he returned as CBS New York’s chief medical correspondent in June 2007. He previously served as health and science editor for WNBC-TV, WNEW-TV and KYW-TV in Philadelphia.
“Dr. Gomez was deeply loved and respected in our newsroom, by medical professionals he worked with, patients who shared their stories with him and our viewers. He was our in-house consultant for whatever ailed us, eager to help, genuinely concerned and never thought twice about going the extra mile.
His academic track was in health and science, but his depth of medical knowledge and easy, relatable style combined to develop his strong broadcast presence,” the station said in a tribute to Gomez on its website announcing his death.
Gomez was a familiar and trusted face for New Yorkers, helping them through the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the course of his career, he was honored with several New York Emmy Awards, Philadelphia Emmys, a UPI honor for Best Documentary for a report on AIDS, and an Excellence in a Time of Crisis Award from the New York City Health Department after 9/11. He also received national television journalism awards from The Marfan Foundation and the Leukemia Society of America. He was named the American Health Foundation’s Man of the Year and was a NASA Journalist In Space semifinalist in 1986.
Gomez also co-authored three health and science books, served on the national board of directors for the American Heart Association, the Princeton Alumni Weekly and the Partnership for Afterschool Education. He also mentored undergraduate journalism and medical students and physicians interested in medical journalism.
Gomez is survived by his children Max Gomez IV and Katie Gomez.