[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 28, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          DR. THOMAS E. STARZL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK MASCARA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 28, 2001

  Mr. MASCARA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Dr. Thomas E. 
Starzl for his leadership in the field of clinical medicine and his 
lifelong commitment to advancing the promise of organ transplantation.
  Known as the ``father of transplantation,'' Dr. Starzl performed the 
world's first liver transplant in 1963 at the University of Colorado. 
Almost 20 years later, he would join the University of Pittsburgh 
School of Medicine and lead a surgical team at Presbyterian University 
Hospital (now UPMC Presbyterian) in performing the area's first liver 
transplant on February 26, 1981. That was the beginning of a transplant 
program and research institute led by Dr. Starzl that would pave the 
way for organ transplantation to become an accepted practice in the 
medical community. The internationally renowned program has performed 
over 11,000 lifesaving transplants, by far the most of any single 
program in the world, and influenced the careers of countless surgeons 
and physicians. Retired from clinical and surgical service since 1991, 
Dr. Starzl remains active in transplant research as director emeritus 
of the institute that was renamed in his honor in 1996.
  On April 27 and 28, 2001, the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation 
Institute and the University of Pittsburgh will hold a tribute event 
for Dr. Starzl. This tribute is called a ``Festschrift,'' which is a 
presentation of a collection of articles by colleagues, former students 
and others published in honor of a noted scholar. The event celebrates 
Dr. Starzl's 75th birthday and also marks the 20th anniversary of the 
first liver transplant performed in Pittsburgh. In addition to oral and 
visual presentations, the Festschrift will officially inaugurate the 
Starzl Prize in Surgery and Immunology and unveil a portrait of Dr. 
Starzl that will be displayed in the University of Pittsburgh School of 
Medicine.
  Such an event is fitting for a man whose resume includes more than 
1,200 presentations; 22 editorial boards; membership in no less than 58 
professional organizations; the authoring or co-authoring of more than 
2,000 scientific articles and four books; 21 honorary doctorates and 
more than 175 awards and honors. Dr. Starzl has been a champion in 
advancing the science of organ transplantation, and in improving and 
saving the lives of countless people.
  Today I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dr. Thomas E. 
Starzl, a true national hero.

                          ____________________