[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E528]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF DR. THOMAS E. STARZL IN THE FIELD OF 
                         ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL F. DOYLE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 3, 2001

  Mr. DOYLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary 
career of Dr. Thomas E. Starzl, the pioneer in the field of organ 
transplantation, who turned seventy-five years old on March 11, 2001.
  This year marks the 20th Anniversary of Dr. Starzl's first liver 
transplant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Thirty transplants were 
performed in that year in 1981, which provided for the foundation for a 
liver transplant program at the University of Pittsburgh and the 
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health System (UPMC) that would 
become the largest in the world.
  Dr. Starzl earned his bachelor's degree in biology at Westminster 
College in Missouri and his medical degree at Northwestern University. 
Following postgraduate work at Johns Hopkins University, surgical 
fellowships, and residencies, Dr. Starzl served on the faculty at 
Northwestern University for four years before transferring to the 
University of Colorado School of Medicine. It was there that Dr. Starzl 
made history by performing the world's first human liver transplant in 
1963 and the first successful liver transplant in 1967.
  While continuing to perform kidney and liver transplants, Dr. Starzl 
focused his work to develop ways to suppress the body's immune system 
to prevent organ rejection. In 1981, Dr. Starzl joined the University 
of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine as a professor of surgery. It was 
there that he utilized his new anti-rejection drug cyclosporine, which 
propelled transplantation from an experimental procedure to an accepted 
form of treatment.
  Under Dr. Starzl's unmatched leadership, the transplant program at 
the University of Pittsburgh grew into the largest and most active 
program in the world. To date, more than 11,300 total transplants have 
been performed through this program with approximately 6,000 of those 
being liver transplants.
  Dr. Starzl retired from clinical and surgical service in 1991 but 
continues to make important strides in the field of transplantation and 
transplant immunology. In addition, Dr. Starzl continues to share his 
knowledge of expertise in this field by remaining active as a 
professor.
  Dr. Starzl has had a tremendous impact and influence in the field of 
transplantation. He has received 21 honorary doctorates and more than 
175 awards and honors, including most recently the 2001 King Faisal 
International Prize for Medicine.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Dr. Thomas E. 
Starzl, the Father of Transplantation. Through his commitment to 
furthering the capabilities of modern medical science, Dr. Starzl has 
not only saved countless lives, but he has helped establish the world-
class reputations that western Pennsylvania, the University of 
Pittsburgh, and the UPMC Health System all share in the field of 
medicine.

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