David Crombie

Dr. David Crombie, is a semi-retired general surgeon, who conducted his practice in that specialty at Hartford Hospital from 1969 to 2004. He was born in Syracuse, New York, with family roots in Connecticut, where he has lived most of his life. After graduating from Dartmouth College (1957) and Tufts University Medical School (1961), he served an internship and five years of surgical residency at Hartford Hospital. Following surgical training he spent two years in the U.S.Navy (1967-69), one aboard the attack carrier USS Hancock, and one year in charge of the dependents surgical service at US Naval Hospital, Newport, Rhode Island.

After 20 years in private practice, Dr. Crombie became full-time Associate Director of Surgery at Hartford Hospital in 1989. While continuing his clinical practice, he had responsibilities for surgical resident training and quality assurance, serving under Peter J. Deckers, M.D., now dean of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. In 1992 he became Interim Director of Surgery, then Director of Surgery from 1994-97. He was a Professor of Clinical Surgery at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Surgery at Dartmouth Medical School. In 1999 Dr. Crombie left medical administration and became a Senior Associate with the Connecticut Surgical Group at 85 Seymour Street in Hartford from which he retired in 2004.

During his professional career Dr. Crombie has been active in various hospital committees, on the board of directors of the hospital, and in local and regional professional societies. He has been a member of the Ethics Committee since its establishment at Hartford Hospital in 1981 and served as chairman for three years, 1997-2000. He held the position of librarian of the Hartford Medical Society for ten years, has served on its executive committee for many years, and as president in 2003. He has been a member of The New England Surgical Society for twenty-five years and served as President in 2001. He is currently Chairman of its Archives Committee. Since his retirement from surgical practice he serves as a medical director of the Hospice Team at VNA Healthcare, Inc. in Hartford.

Dr. Crombie has had a sustained interest in writing and in medical and local history. He was co-editor of his high school yearbook, editor of the Hartford Hospital Medical Staff Bulletin (1978-84) and co-editor with Dr. Robert Massey of a Bicentennial History of the Hartford County Medical Association in 1992. Since January, 1999, he has been Editor of Connecticut Medicine, the journal of the Connecticut State Medical Society. He played an active role in the publication of The Healing Triangle: Hartford Hospital’s First 150 Years in 2004. He has contributed numerous articles to the medical literature in surgery, medical history and ethics.

Dr. Crombie and his wife, Margaret, have four grown children and live in West Hartford.