James Mahoney (pulmonologist)

James A. Mahoney was born in either 1957 or 1958 to Leila and Oscar Mahoney. His father was a member of the United States Air Force. Mahoney was raised in military housing in Bermuda and the South Shore in Nassau County, New York. He had 4 siblings.[1] As a child, a family friend nicknamed him Charlie.[2] He began working with his older brother at the age of 8. They worked at a laundromat, German delicatessen, and a lunch counter.[3] Mahoney was the captain of the football team at Roosevelt High School.[1]

Mahoney completed a B.S. at C.W. Post in 1981 while working in patient transport at the Long Beach Medical Center.[4][1] In 1986, he earned an M.D. at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at his alma mater and served as chief resident from 1989 to 1990.[1] He completed a pulmonary and critical care fellowship in 1993.[1]

Mahoney began working at the University Hospital of Brooklyn and Kings County Hospital Center in 1982.[2] In 1993, Mahoney became a clinical assistant professor of medicine and head of the intensive care unit at the SUNY Downstate College of Medicine.[3][4]

His clinical interests included pulmonary diseases including sarcoidosis, pulmonary hypertension, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and bronchoscopy.[4]

The COVID-19 pandemic in New York changed Mahoney's plan to retire in January 2020. He treated COVID-19 patients at Downstate and the Kings County Hospital Center.[1] His workplace did not provide sufficient personal protective equipment.[3]

During his graduate studies, Mahoney met Lisa Johnson, a graphic designer, while he was traveling through California. They married in 1987 and had three children.[1] The family resided in Baldwin where Mahoney served as a football and baseball coach.[5] The Mahoneys divorced in 2004.[1]

Mahoney resided in Freeport, New York. He was in a long-term relationship with Dawn Havens at the time of his death. Mahoney died from COVID-19 on April 27, 2020 at the NYU Langone Medical Center.[1]