VA Healthcare-VISN 4
Around the Network - Dr. Thomas E. Starzl Tribute
Around the Network
VA Mourns Loss of Organ Transplant Pioneer Dr. Thomas E. Starzl
Pioneer of many facets of transplantation
Often regarded as the "father of transplantation," Dr. Thomas E. Starzl is credited with performing the first successful liver transplant. As a transplant surgeon and research scientist for more than 50 years, he greatly advanced the science of organ transplantation. In fact, every organ transplant performed by surgeons within VA or any health care system relies, to an extent, on methods pioneered and developed by Dr. Starzl.
Dr. Starzl, who died March 4 at age 90, was a Veteran of the U.S. Navy. He began his VA career in the 1950s as a resident surgeon in the Chicago VA Medical Center. He then served at the Denver VA Medical Center, and retired from VISN 4's VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) in 1991.
Dr. Starzl pioneered many aspects of transplantation, including immunosuppressive drug development, organ preservation, tissue matching, and innovative transplant surgical procedures. He developed the organ-specific, multi-disciplinary team approach to organ transplantation. Surgeons and physicians from around the world traveled to learn from and practice under Dr. Starzl, including VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin.
Dr. Starzl trained and inspired a generation of transplant professionals, especially since he never lost sight of the people his work affected: his patients. He kept in touch with many patients long after he treated them. He remembered them, their human stories, and their medical histories. When he lost patients, it affected him deeply and inspired him to learn more and fight harder.
Dr. Starzl's legacy lives on, through his wife, son, grandchild, and the thousands of health care providers that he taught and inspired, including many throughout VAPHS and VISN 4.
