Twenty-five years ago, Thomas E. Starzl M.D., Ph.D., distinguished service professor of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and director emeritus, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) led the team that performed Pittsburgh’s first-ever liver transplant. Since that medical milestone, the field of organ transplantation has evolved from a once rare and risky surgical procedure to an everyday occurrence throughout hospitals around the globe. Dr. Starzl’s achievements both in transplantation and immunology have advanced the field of medicine immeasurably and established Pittsburgh as the Transplant Capital of the World.
Both the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC congratulate Dr. Starzl on his selection as a recipient of the 2004 National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest scientific honor.