Dr. Mark Beers, past editor-in-chief of The Merck Manuals, died in Miami on Saturday, February 28, of complications of his longstanding diabetes. He was 54 years old. After an early career as a scientist and geriatrician, during which he developed the well-known Beers criteria regarding drugs particularly problematic for the elderly, Mark came to The Manuals in 1992 as associate editor. He served as co-editor of The Merck Manual of Geriatrics and played a key role in developing the first Merck Manual---Home Edition and the first online versions of The Manuals. In 2000, Mark became Editor-in-Chief of The Manuals, a position he maintained until his retirement for medical reasons in 2006.

In addition to his work at Merck, Mark remained active in the field of Geriatrics before and after his retirement. He served on the Board of Directors of the National Council on Aging, the Alliance for Aging Research, and the American Federation for Aging Research, of which he was president from 2004 to 2006. Mark held professorships at many medical schools, including UCLA, The University of Pennsylvania, MCP-Hahnemann, Drexel, and most recently, the University of Miami.

At Merck, Mark is remembered as a devoted and passionate advocate of The Merck Manuals. He will be greatly missed.