His Northshore Patients Celebrate the Life and Contributions of GIRF's Dr. Joseph Kirsner
Dr. Joseph Kirsner, Founder of the GI Research Foundation at University of Chicago Medicine, Named One of the Most Influential Physicians in History
Gastroenterologist Joseph B. Kirsner, MD, PhD, was recently named by Medscape Magazine as one of the "50 Most Influential Physicians in History." Dr. Kirsner literally wrote the book on digestive medicine with his authoritative text book Inflammatory Bowel Disease, used by gastroenterologists for decades. He passed away in Chicago in 2012 at the age of 102.
Dr. Kirsner, who practiced at the University of Chicago Medicine for more than 70 years, and treated many Northshore patients, was named to its list for "his research on the roles immunology and genetics play in inflammatory bowel disease. He was the first to demonstrate the connection between ulcerative colitis and colon cancer." During his career, he published more than 750 scientific articles and 18 books, including six editions of aforementioned Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He trained more than 200 of the field's leading specialists. He continued to see patients-who fondly referred to him as "Dr. Joe" -- until age 95; even then, former patients continued to call him for advice.
"Although he was devoted scientist, taking care of patients was always at the core of his thinking. He was a bulldog when it came to fighting for his patients, and he transmitted that tenacity to everyone on his team," according to David T. Rubin, M.D., The Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine; Chief, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition; and Co-Director of the Digestive Diseases Center at The University of Chicago Medicine.
One of Dr. Kirsner's lasting legacies was the creation of the Chicago-based GI Research Foundation (GIRF), which provides funding to treat, cure, and prevent digestive diseases. A collection of his grateful patients formed GIRF over 55 years ago, which has provided nearly $50 million to support gastrointestinal research at the University of Chicago Medicine, including $2 million for the University's 17,000-square-foot Joseph B. Kirsner Center for the Study of Digestive Diseases, which opened in 1986.
The GI Research Foundation is dedicated to support the physicians and scientists at The University of Chicago Medicine Digestive Diseases Center in their efforts to provide outstanding care, train future leaders and perform innovative clinical and laboratory research in order to treat, cure and prevent digestive diseases. These life altering diseases include, but not limited to, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, stomach cancer, hepatitis B and C, pancreatitis, colon cancer, celiac disease, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastroesophageal reflux, liver transplants, and more.