Thomas E. Starzl performed the first human liver transplant in 1963, establishing the groundwork for modern organ replacement surgery. A prolific researcher and surgeon based in the United States, his efforts transformed medical practice through the clinical application of complex immunosuppressive therapies, fundamentally altering how specialists treat patients suffering from end-stage liver failure and inherited metabolic conditions.
Academic Foundation
Born in 1926 in Le Mars, Starzl pursued an extensive education that prepared him for a career in academic medicine. He attended Westminster College before moving to Northwestern University and the Feinberg School of Medicine. By 1952, he had secured both a Ph.D. in neurophysiology and an M.D. with distinction. His early training included surgery residencies at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he conducted laboratory research that sharpened his interest in liver biology.
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Starzl held faculty positions at the University of Colorado from 1962 until 1981, during which time he conducted the world’s first human liver transplant in 1963. He followed this with the first successful human liver transplant in 1967. His work expanded in 1981 when he joined the University of Pittsburgh. There, he performed the first simultaneous heart and liver transplant on a six-year-old patient named Stormie Jones in 1984, further defining the clinical utility of organ transplantation.
Clinical Innovation
Beyond surgical procedures, Starzl provided the scientific rationale for managing organ rejection. He established the clinical use of ciclosporin in 1982 and tacrolimus in 1991, both of which gained Food and Drug Administration approval. His research into microchimerism offered a theoretical basis for transplant tolerance. Additionally, he identified the causative role of immunosuppression in post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, creating protocols that prioritized reversing immunosuppression as a principal clinical treatment.
Recognition and Legacy
Starzl received widespread professional recognition for his contributions to surgical science. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Académie Nationale de Médecine, and the American Philosophical Society. Notable honors included the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine in 2001, the National Medal of Science in 2004, and the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award in 2012. He retired from clinical practice in 1991 but continued his research until his death in 2017 in Pittsburgh.
Fast facts
- Born: 1926, Le Mars
- Died: 2017, Pittsburgh
- Education: Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
- Key Employers: University of Colorado, University of Pittsburgh
- National Medal of Science: 2004
- Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award: 2012
- First human liver transplant: 1963
Questions readers ask
What were Thomas E. Starzl’s primary medical contributions?
He performed the first human liver transplants and introduced the clinical use of immunosuppressive drugs like ciclosporin and tacrolimus to prevent organ rejection.
Where did Starzl conduct his primary surgical research?
He worked at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center from 1962 to 1981, and subsequently at the University of Pittsburgh.
Achievements
- honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons — 1984
- King Faisal International Prize in Medicine — 2001
- National Medal of Science — 2004
- Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award — 2012
- Held posts at University of Pittsburgh and University of Colorado
- Fields: surgery and transplantation
