Authors: Karen Bruner Stroup, PhD, Retired Director, Community Education and Child Advocacy, Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health; Secretary, Riley Hospital Historic Preservation Committee and
Richard L. Schreiner, MD, Edwin L. Gresham Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine; Retired Chairman, Department of Pediatrics; Chairman, Riley Hospital Historic Preservation Committee; Retired Physician-in-Chief, Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health
Martin Barry Kleiman, MD, passed away peacefully on January 31, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. He was 82 years old.
He was a world-renowned infectious disease specialist, a fierce advocate for infection control best practices and policies in health care settings, including Riley Hospital for Children. He was a brilliant, kind and caring clinician who was exacting, tough, and an astute diagnostician. He was a dedicated, demanding, and stern, yet, compassionate teacher and, on top of that, he was an unforgettable and inspiring mentor for thousands of medical students, residents, fellows and professionals.
Jerry Rushton, MD, described Dr. Kleiman as a “giant in pediatrics,” who, on the one hand, was brilliant and kind, “and he taught you to dig in—kind of a classic detective.” Dr. Rushton continued, “He was a stickler for details, and he would push you. It wasn’t just ‘this is all warm and fuzzy’ and giving out lollipops. He wanted you to know that sometimes kids have serious issues, and we need to be insightful clinicians.”
Dr. Kleiman founded the section of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Riley Hospital in 1976 and directed the section for over 30 years. As an early infectious disease specialist in the department, now chair of the department of pediatrics, D. Wade Clapp, MD, said Dr. Kleiman had to be “always available and on call. He would start his day late and end it late, rolling into the hospital around nine and beginning labs then.” What’s more, “he was a phenomenal clinician—phenomenal—as well as an amazing diagnostician.”
Best known as Ryan White’s physician, Dr. Kleiman was the Indiana University School of Medicine physician who diagnosed 13-year-old Ryan White with AIDS in 1984 after Ryan, a hemophiliac, received a contaminated blood transfusion. He and Riley Hospital’s infectious disease team cared for Ryan throughout his battle against AIDS and in Ryan’s last days at Riley Hospital in 1990.
When Ryan White said “I’ll only come to Riley,” he meant it. The trust he had in Dr. Kleiman and his team was an unbreakable bond, the same kind of trust and confidence that his doctor Dr. Kleiman (“Dr. K” as Ryan called him) instilled with all of his patients and their families.
Ryan returned to Riley Hospital in April of 1990 with an acute respiratory infection that was a complication of AIDS which led him to decide to go on a ventilator for life support in Riley Hospital’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. In these days when the internet was relatively new, Dr. Kleiman (as head of Ryan’s treatment team) and Ryan’s Mom, Jeanne White, met with media twice daily to provide updates in, what was then, the Board of Governor’s Room just off the Riley Hospital cafeteria, to help manage the flow of reporters and photographers in and out of the hospital. Dr. Kleiman bravely faced questions from newspapers, radio, and television media worldwide who all came to Riley to report on Ryan’s battle in his last days. A spokeswoman for the hospital described the flood of calls at the time as “around-the-clock.” She explained, “We’re getting calls from every small town in the United States. It hasn’t let up. ″ Dr. Richard Schreiner, who served as Riley’s physician-in-chief for more than 20 years until 2009, remembers Dr. Kleiman as an "absolute master” at dealing calmly and clearly with the intense media attention on the hospital during that time. Dr. Kleiman never wavered in his efforts with the national and worldwide press to do what was right and teach that HIV should not restrict Ryan, or anyone, from going to school and living a regular life.
After Ryan’s passing, Dr. Kleiman supported the annual Indiana University Dance Marathon (IUDM) where he served as a much-revered speaker where he motivated thousands of participants to honor Ryan’s legacy. The $56 million raised by IUDM has helped fund the creation of the Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health as well as the Ryan White Endowed Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases — Dr. Kleiman was the first to be recognized.
Ryan White’s courage and determination that he showed the world in his battle against discrimination as an AIDS patient are remembered today at The Power of Children exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis where Dr. Kleiman’s quote: “He was the right kid at the right time” is recognized as part of Ryan’s legacy. A few months after Ryan died, Congress passed the Ryan White Care Act to help people with AIDS pay for their medical expenses.
Dr. Kleiman and Ryan White are forever part of Riley Hospital’s story. It was Dr. Kleiman who unveiled the sculpture of Ryan White by artist Bill Mack. It was originally dedicated to Riley Hospital in 1992 and re-installed in the halls of the hospital in 2023 for all to see as an everyday reminder of how Ryan White and Dr. Kleiman together re-shaped the face of Riley Hospital and its commitment to leadership in pediatric infection control.
John Christenson, MD, an infectious disease specialist explained how his impact still extends further. Dr. Christenson stated, “Many former residents and faculty still comment that Dr. Kleiman is responsible for teaching them how to be excellent pediatricians. Many children, now adults, owe their lives to Dr. Kleiman, and parents and patients remind us of this all the time. Dr. Kleiman, a legacy builder, has been an integral part of Riley’s 100-year history. Much is owed to physicians like him.”
Chandy John, MD, the current Ryan White Professor of Pediatrics, says that Dr. Kleiman’s legacy is timeless. Dr. John declared, “We build on what Dr. Kleiman started: a tradition of clinical excellence, dedication to patient care, and research that reduces the burden of infectious diseases in children, especially the most vulnerable children. Without Dr. Kleiman’s groundbreaking work and his compassionate care for Ryan White, we would not be doing the work we do now to combat infectious disease in children globally. Dr. Kleiman was a pioneer, and it’s our privilege to hold up and expand his extraordinary legacy.”
References:
“Ryan White dies of AIDS at 18: His Struggle Helped Pierce Myths,” New York Times, April 9, 1990
Grave New Infection Hits Ryan, Indianapolis Star, April 3, 1990, pp. 1 and 5, accessed through Indianapolis Public Library.
“Elton John honors Ryan White during final Indianapolis concert,” Indianapolis Star, April 2, 2022
30 Years ago, Ryan White died at Riley, Riley Connections, April 8, 2020
The Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Indiana University School of Medicine