William M. McClellan, MD, MPH
March 30, 1947 - March 9, 2017
Dr. William "Bill" M. McClellan Jr., 69, of LaGrange, Georgia passed away March 09, 2017 at Emory University Hospital.
Dr. McClellan was born March 30, 1947 in Alexandria, Virginia to Barbara Blalock Cruit and William M. McClellan Sr. He was a graduate of Ensley High School in Birmingham Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Dr. McClellan completed medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and his fellowship in renal medicine at the University of California in San Francisco. He also received a MPH degree from Emory University.
Dr. McClellan moved to LaGrange in 1976 and began his medical practice with Clark-Holder Clinic while also serving as a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Emory University. He became deeply involved in the community, teaching adult Sunday School at the First Baptist Church and serving on the Troup 2000 initiative, among other activities. In 2005, Dr. McClellan retired from his medical practice in LaGrange and took an appointment as a full professor of epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health and medicine at Emory University.
Dr. McClellan's long research career focused on racial and other disparities in health outcomes related to chronic kidney disease, end stage renal disease, hypertension, and the quality of care for patients. He combined strong expertise in clinical medicine, epidemiology, and health services research and this was reflected in over 240 publications and service to national and international advisory groups. In addition, he directly supervised 12 PhD students and mentored countless others.
Dr. McClellan served on the American Society of Nephrology’s Chronic Kidney Disease Committee and is the representative to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) steering committee for the National Kidney Disease Education Program. He is chairman of the scientific advisory committee for the NIDDK Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study (CRIC). He has published extensively on epidemiology, health services and outcomes research of chronic kidney disease.
Despite his distinguished and busy professional career, Dr. McClellan found plenty of time to enjoy life. He was an avid reader, gardener, sailor, hiker, and world traveler. During Saturdays in the fall, he could also be reliably found watching Alabama football. He took a deep interest in anyone he met and always tried to help them achieve their best.
Dr. McClellan is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Ann Chambers McClellan; his sisters Madeline Mercer and Debbie Schuelke, and brother Richard Cruit; his children, William "Bill" McClellan III (Phabiola), Jennifer Nelson (Scott), and Chandler McClellan (Jessica); and his grandchildren David, Joshua, Alex, Langston, William, and Abigail.
A visitation will be held on Friday, March 17, 2017 from 5 P.M. to 7 P.M at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, LaGrange GA. Funeral services will be held at 2 P.M. on Saturday, March 18, 2017 at the First Baptist Church on the Square, LaGrange, GA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to LaGrange College (note for nursing endowment in memory of Dr. McClellan) or to the Literacy Volunteers of Troup County, 200 Main Street Suite 201, LaGrange, Georgia 30240. Those wishing to share a condolence or remembrance with the family may do so by visiting www.shlagrange.com. Arrangements are by Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, 1010 Mooty Bridge Road, LaGrange, GA 30240 (706) 884-8636.
Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Mar. 15, 2017
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