Transplant Pioneer Thomas E. Starzl, M.D., Ph.D., Receives Institute of Medicine’s 2009 Lienhard Award
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 14, 2009 – Thomas E. Starzl, M.D., Ph.D., Distinguished Service Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director emeritus, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, was presented with the 2009 Gustav O. Lienhard Award at the Institute of Medicine’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 12. Known as “the father of transplantation,” Dr. Starzl was selected for his role in pioneering and advancing transplantation science.
Each year, the award is presented to an individual to recognize his or her outstanding achievement in improving health care services in the United States. The award consists of a medal and $25,000, and is funded by an endowment from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“Thomas Starzl transformed the field of transplantation as we knew it. Through his leadership and perseverance, he created what is now one of the oldest and strongest transplant programs in the world,” said Abhinav Humar, M.D., clinical director, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute and division chief of transplant surgery, UPMC. “It is fitting that he be recognized by the Institute of Medicine with this prestigious honor.”
Dr. Starzl performed the world’s first liver transplant in 1963 and the first successful liver transplant in 1967, both while at the University of Colorado. In 1980, he introduced the anti-rejection medications anti-lymphocyte globulin and cyclosporine, which became the accepted form of treatment for patients with end-stage liver, kidney and heart disease.
In 1981, Dr. Starzl joined the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine as professor of surgery, and led the team of surgeons who performed Pittsburgh’s first liver transplant. Thirty liver transplants were performed that year, launching the liver transplant program – the only one in the nation at the time.
In 1989, Dr. Starzl announced the first-time use of FK506 (tacrolimus) as a more effective anti-rejection agent. FK506 greatly improved patient and graft survival rates for liver and other organ transplants and made intestinal transplantation possible for the first time. In 1994, FK506 was approved for clinical use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“Dr. Starzl has applied his talents and skills to everything that he has touched from the earliest days of his career – first as a neuroscientist, then as a surgeon and most importantly, as the pioneering developer of organ transplantation as a safe and effective remedy for many diseases and disorders. His imagination, courage, intellectual energy and passion have changed the lives of countless patients,” said Arthur S. Levine, M.D., senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Dr. Starzl attended Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago where he earned a doctoral degree in neurophysiology and a medical degree with distinction in 1952. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 1999. Among Dr. Starzl’s other honors, he received the 2004 National Medal of Science from President George W. Bush, the David M. Hume Memorial Award from the National Kidney Foundation, the Brookdale Award in Medicine by the American Medical Association, the Rhoads Medal of the American Philosophical Society, and 24 honorary doctorates from universities worldwide.
For more information about Thomas E. Starzl, M.D., Ph.D., or to download a high-resolution photo, visit his online biography.
UPMC Transplantation Services
The Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute is one of the world’s largest and busiest transplant centers where surgeons perform more types of organ transplants than at any other institution. The mission of the Starzl Institute is to foster a multidisciplinary approach to the continual improvement of the clinical, scientific and social aspects of transplantation to improve the lives of patients with end-stage organ failure. The Starzl Institute places a strong emphasis on the advancement of basic science and clinically applied research, as well as the teaching and training of multinational specialists. For more information, visit the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute online.
Institute of Medicine
Established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine provides independent, objective, evidence-based advice to policymakers, health professionals, the private sector and the public. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine and National Research Council make up the National Academies.