Dr. Paul Bookman

Dr. Paul K. Bookman, Mark Bookman’s father, is a dentist practicing in the Philadelphia suburbs of the United States. He has been practicing in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania since 1987.

Prior to the passing of his son in December of 2022, Dr. Bookman was an avid outdoor enthusiast. He spent most of his free time bicycling, skiing, scuba diving, and taking care of his two dogs with his wife Dr. Wasna Dabbagh. Although he still enjoys these activities, he now devotes most of his energies to his daughter Rachel and preserving the legacy and ideals of his late son, Dr. Mark Bookman.

As the father of two chronically ill and disabled children, Paul has spent the better part of 30 years dealing with hospitals, life threatening illnesses, and obstacles trying to make life easier for his two affected children. With the formation of the GLIDE Fund, established by his son Mark, he is now embarking on a new phase of his life. He plans to carry on the disability advocacy work of his son and daughter by making sure that the GLIDE Fund grows internationally. His hope, as a lasting tribute to his son’s passion and research, is to make the GLIDE Fund the leading grant making organization whose sole purpose is to aid disabled students traveling internationally to further their studies and understanding of the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Mark Bookman’s passing in 2022 was a great loss to disabled individuals throughout the world as he was a force to be reckoned with, but working with GLIDE to assist other disabled individuals and have this website become a central database for all things related to DEI has become Paul’s main point of focus. Please check this website often as we will continually be adding additional material covering all aspects of living with a disability and how the world truly needs to get to the point where everyone is treated equally regardless of any disability or inequity that presently exists and allows them to have the same opportunities as everyone else.