David Rodman Cohan
In Memoriam

It is with great sorrow that the board of directors of the Susan Cohan Colon Cancer Foundation, Inc. announces the death of our chairman and dear friend, David Rodman Cohan.

David was a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, beginning his professional career as a law clerk to Judge Hall Hammond of the Court of Appeals of Maryland. He joined the law firm of Weinberg & Green, where he became a partner, before leaving to form his own firm, today known as Cohan & West, P.C. David specialized in complex business litigation and corporate transactions and was admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States.

In 2002, David’s daughter Susan, the mother of two children ages 5 and 7, was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer and told she had 30 days to live. Susan fought courageously for the next two years, during which time she and her father founded the Susan Cohan Colon Cancer Foundation (“Susie’s Cause”). The foundation received its official 501(c)(3) status in January 2005, just months after Susan had lost her battle against colon cancer.

David served as the volunteer president of Susie’s Cause from the beginning, devoting an increasing amount of time to the charity as it became national in scope. In 2016, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) awarded him its coveted David Jagelman Award for Advocacy in Colorectal Cancer. In bestowing this honor, the ASCRS praised Susie’s Cause’s innovative outreach programs and their role in leading to significant increases in colon cancer screenings throughout the nation.

The employees and board of directors of Susie’s Cause are committed to fulfilling the mission of Susie’s Cause. Thanks to David’s stewardship, we are confident Susie’s Cause will experience continued success, as we work tirelessly to advocate for public awareness about colon cancer, promote the importance of regular screenings, and raise money to fund groundbreaking research and clinical trials.