Dr. Martin Douglas Valentine, M.D.

On September 15, 2021, Martin Douglas Henriques Valentine, M.D., beloved husband of Leah H. Valentine (nee David), devoted father of Mark D. (Tina), Daniel S. (Claire), Rachel L. Martinez (Antonio), and Joshua R. (Steven), loving grandfather of Trey, Tim, Catherine, and Leilani.

Dr. Martin Douglas Valentine, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Medicine, passed away peacefully at home on the evening of September 15, 2021. A resident of the Glen Meadows Senior Living Community in Glen Arm, Maryland, he was 86 when he died and was surrounded by his family at the time of death. He is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren.

Dr. Valentine was born in Greenwich, CT and was a graduate of Greenwich High School, Union College, and Tufts Medical School. He did his residency at The Ohio State University. In the midst of a Harvard fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Valentine found that his passion in medicine was for immunology and asthma. That began a nearly 50-year career that included appointments at the Leahy Clinic and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine before shifting into private practice in the mid-1990s. He served on the editorial boards of both the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and Clinical Reviews in Allergy and Immunology and was a Fellow of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology.

While in academia, Dr. Valentine made major contributions in the field of allergy and immunology. He was particularly well-known and respected for his work on insect-sting allergies. During his tenure at Hopkins, he helped to develop the diagnosis and treatment protocols that remain the standard of practice for treating insect allergies. Dr. Valentine was known as being extremely devoted to his colleagues, patients, and research.

After moving into private practice, he developed a reputation for being skilled at putting patients at ease. As a consequence, he built up a considerable reputation for being a doctor with a sympathetic ear who was often the allergist of last resort for patients who had run out of other options. A wry, and frequently irreverent, sense of humor often came in handy when engaging with patients.

He traveled widely as an expert in his field both domestically and abroad often with his beloved wife, Leah, at his side. He traveled to far flung destinations such as Guam, Sweden, the former Soviet Union, Japan, Denmark, Austria, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Outside of the office, Dr. Valentine had many passions ranging from collecting fine pens to exploring a wide array of musical genres. In high school, college, and the Air Force he was in a number of jazz bands where he played both the saxophone and clarinet. He also educated his children about music by playing selections from his eclectic music collection that spanned from Beethoven to Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Dr. Valentine also made sure that his children attended live performances of such acclaimed artists as Miles Davis, Benny Goodman, and Laurie Anderson.

Dr. Valentine’s other extracurricular pursuits included bird watching, fishing and crabbing, and gardening. At the old family home in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Baltimore, he maintained a robust garden that included a profusion of both flowers and vegetables. In summer and fall there were always cut flowers – roses, zinnias, and peonies -- in the house and an abundance of greens, tomatoes, zucchini, rhubarb, and sweet peas waiting to be made into salads, turned into sauces, or added to baked goods. Dr. Valentine also was fond of pungent and sharp cheeses. The cheeses were often featured at parties like the annual fete he hosted during his tenure at Hopkins where faculty and fellows also feasted on oysters, Polish sausages, and draft beer.

Services will take place at the convenience of the family in Greenwich, CT. A celebration of life will take place on Sunday. April 24, 2022 from 2:00 to 4:30 pm at 2412 Rogers Avenue Baltimore, MD 21209

In lieu of flowers, contributions to Gilchrist Hospice, 11311 McCormick Road, Suite 350, Hunt Valley, MD 21051, in Marty's memory would be appreciated.