In Memoriam: Joel Zatz, Ph.D.

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Joel Zatz, Ph.D., retired Rutgers pharmacy professor, industry leader, avid outdoorsman and photographer, sadly passed away on July 14, 2020.

Metuchen, N.J., resident Joel Leon Zatz was born in 1935 to Abraham and Gussie Zatz. After marrying Arline Zatz in 1956, he served in the army, then attained a doctorate from Columbia University. He was a part of the Rutgers faculty for 35 years, chairing the pharmaceutics department for three terms while supervising numerous graduate students.Metuchen, N.J., resident Joel Leon Zatz was born in 1935 to Abraham and Gussie Zatz. After marrying Arline Zatz in 1956, he served in the army, then attained a doctorate from Columbia University. He was a part of the Rutgers faculty for 35 years, chairing the pharmaceutics department for three terms while supervising numerous graduate students.

Zatz presented short courses internationally, wrote the popular and highly regarded Pharmaceutical Calculations and many scientific articles, and patented a safer ampoule. After retirement, he was a renowned consultant and expert witness. Zatz educated the cosmetics industry on everything from the use of gums in cosmetic suspensions to optimizing skin delivery—which he penned for Cosmetics & Toiletries in 2000. In 1998, Zatz served as chair of the NYSCC.

With author Arline Zatz, his wife of 64 years, he was an avid outdoorsman, traveler and photographer whose photos appear nationwide in books and magazines. His photo gallery is at ecofocus.com. Surviving are his wife, Arline; two sons, Dr. Robert Zatz and Dr. David Zatz; and his beloved grandchildren, Zoe and Benjamin Zatz. 

"Nature is the origin of everything we consider beautiful," he once wrote. "Nothing sharpens the mind and gives relief from the pressures of our high-velocity society than a walk in the woods or a quiet paddle in a lake among the birds, beavers and water lilies. The natural world is the real world; it is sometimes cruel, but it always provides stimulation for our senses and inspiration for our creativity."

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