Dr. Joseph Paris embodied the Hippocratic Oath. He helped his peers, mentored others, continued the pursuit of learning and most of all, he cared for his patients.
But what stood out most about Dr. Paris was his level of detail and care for a unique patient population, those in the correctional system, friends and colleagues said.
“He loved taking care of patients,” said Mary Paris, his wife of 38 years. “People would ask him all of the time how he did it. And he’d say he never asked about the crime, he only treated the patients. That’s how he did it.”
Joseph Edward Paris of Marietta died at his home Sept. 6 from complications of cancer. He was 71. A memorial service is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 7 at H. M. Patterson & Son Funeral Home, Canton Hill, which is also in charge of arrangements.
Dr. Paris, who held doctorates in medicine and philosophy, didn’t set out to be a physician. He came to the U.S. from Argentina in 1967 to complete his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University. He taught biochemistry at Tufts University before starting medical school at Boston University.
“He was a biochemist who wanted to do medicine,” his wife said. “And he’d planned to go into family practice, but was offered a job at a correctional facility in Florida.”
That job was the beginning of a career in correctional medicine that spanned nearly 30 years. He served the Florida correctional health care system for 13 years before coming to Georgia to be the medical director of the state department of corrections.
In 2006 Dr. Paris retired from the state but continued to work in the medical community. At the time of his death, he worked part-time at the DeKalb County Board of Health and with the Clayton and Douglas County jails.
“For many years and up until his passing he served as an evaluator of correctional health systems for the National Commission on Correctional Health Care,” said Edward Harrison, president of the Chicago-based commission. “He was a mentor to many physicians working in jails and prisons throughout the country.”
Dr. Paris was known and appreciated among his colleagues for working within the narrow constraints of state and federal budgets, yet still providing superior medical care.
“He was able to come up with a correct diagnosis and get them transferred to where they could get the proper care,” said Dr. Nancy Koughan, lead physician in DeKalb County. “He was very compassionate, whether the patient was incarcerated or in public health.”
In addition to his wife, Dr. Paris is survived by daughters, Laura Paton of Charleston, S.C.; Marta Hughes, of Rydal; son Joseph John Paris of East Hartford, Conn.; and three grandchildren.
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