Farewell to Liz Kanof, MD
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Kanof, a dermatologist, served as a Board Member with NCMB from 1998 - 2002, serving as President in 2001. She later served as president of the North Carolina Medical Society, where she helped found a physician leadership program in 2002 that now bears her name, the Kanof Institute for Physician Leadership (KIPL). Scores of physician leaders currently working in North Carolina honed their leadership skills in KIPL's annual leadership school, and are an enduring legacy of Kanof's vision.
Kanof was laid to rest in a private service in New York City. Kanof's family suggests that those wishing to honor Dr. Kanof's memory support the Judaic Art Gallery at the North Carolina Museum of Art, which was founded by Kanof's parents, or the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
The family also indicated that details regarding a celebration of life will be announced at a later date.
Comments on this article:
Growing up in Raleigh in the 1960s, Dr. Kanof was my dermatologist. From age 13 through 18, I saw her weekly at her office over by the old Rex hospital.
Her care was characterized by energetic yet gentle efficiency. She always made me feel special, like I was her only patient, which of course, was not the case. She not only cared for my skin, she fed my soul.
She became my model for how a physician should care for patients and operate in society.
By Vincent Kopp on Feb 27, 2026 at 5:42am
She was one of a kind.
I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Kanof. In addition to the numerous and substantial contributions. Dr. Kanof, made to medicine in North Carolina, as amply outlined above, Dr. Kanof had a profound impact on the EMS community in our state. I had pleasure and privilege of working with her while she served as the North Carolina Medical Board representative on the North Carolina office of EMS disciplinary committee which I served as the chair.
Dr. Kanof shared with us on the committee, her experience and insight in dealing with disciplinary and other problems based on her long service with the North Carolina Medical Board We were extremely fortunate to have her as a mentor as well as a colleague.
In the course of her activity with the EMS disciplinary committee Dr. Kanof noticed that there were a fair number of individuals who had issues with substance abuse or alcohol abuse. She was very surprised to learn that at EMS we did not have a program to deal with impaired providers much as the North Carolina medical board and medical Society had put together for physicians. Dr. Kanof took it as a personal mission to see that we would be able to establish a program similar to that used by the medical board or by the nursing board.
That the program was established and today continues to function wee, due no small part to her dedication to see that MEDICAL providers of all types have the resources to overcome the challenges that they face.
I shall always be indebted to her for her, sharing her knowledge and experience and most of all being a friend and colleagueAll of us in the EMS community extend our deepest condolences to Dr. Kanof‘s friends, family and colleagues and we thank you for sharing with us
Roy Alson, PhD MD
Professor Emeritus of emergency medicine
Wake Forest” school medicine
By Roy L Alson PhD MD FACEP on Mar 11, 2026 at 1:37pm
