It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Dr. Thomas E. Starzl on March 4th, 2017 at age 90. Known as the “Father of Transplantation” for his pioneering role in the advancement of organ transplantation, Dr. Starzl will forever be remembered for bringing life and hope to countless patients.

Almost 50 years ago, as a result of his dedication to science and to his patients, Dr. Starzl established an entirely new field of medicine, turning liver transplantation from an “impossible venture” into an accepted medical practice that has given hope and life to thousands of people every year.

Dr. Starzl performed the world’s first liver transplant in Denver in 1963. That patient and the four who followed did not survive for long. But four years later, in 1967 having developed a mix of drugs aimed at combating organ rejection, Dr. Starzl performed the first successful liver transplant on a patient who survived for a year.

Dr. Starzl laid much of the empirical foundation for transplant immunology between 1959 and 1964. In the 1960s, Dr. Starzl improved kidney trans­plantation by giving patients the steroid prednisone along with the anti-rejection drug Imuran. He used the same steroid strategy to accomplish liver transplantation.

Dr. Starzl performed about 175 liver transplants at the University of Colorado, with a success rate between 30 and 50 percent. He served as the Chairman of Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine from 1972 until 1980, when he came, on New Year’s Eve, to Pittsburgh.

He brought with him to Pittsburgh an experimental drug called cyclosporin, and then showed colleagues and generations of surgical trainees how to do liver transplants. In 1989, Dr. Starzl introduced an experimental drug called FK506 to the transplant scene. Even more powerful than cyclosporin, the medicine known as tacrolimus is now the most widely used in transplantation world-wide.

During his years in Pittsburgh, Dr. Starzl had built the largest transplant program in the world and in 1996, the university’s transplant institute was renamed in his honor. By February 26, 2001, which was the 20th anniversary of Pittsburgh’s first liver transplant Dr. Starzl had transformed the hospital into the busiest transplant center in the world; the center’s team had transplanted more than 5 700 livers, 3 500 cadaveric kidneys, 1 000 lungs and 500 hearts.

A former President of The Transplantation Society and of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Dr. Starzl was also a member of the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences. Among many other awards though the years, in 2004 he was awarded the National Medal of Science, the USA’s highest scientific honor. Dr. Starzl has also earned the additional distinctions of being one of the most prolific scientists in the world as well as the most cited scientist in the field of clinical medicine.

A pioneer in medicine and surgery, Starzl was also a teacher and a mentor. He taught others, like me, who in turn passed on the constant accumulation of knowledge to their own students. Several generations of surgeons will continue to benefit from Starzl’s inquisitive mind and determination. It is not a secret or an exaggeration to state that the world owes him some of the best doctors the profession has to offer.

I remember my time in Colorado from January 1, 1974 to June 30, 1975 studying with Thomas Starzl, learning his techniques and the treatments available, and feeling the exhilaration of success and the grave disappointment of a failure. I too chose this path and fought my own battles on my return to Turkey. With Thomas Starzl as my guide and my inspiration, I too fought against my opponents and circumstances to finally succeed and to give life to those who had lost all hope of one.

The countless lives saved are testament to the miracles borne out of the desire to succeed. Dr. Starzl’s achievements did not only benefit those suffering from liver failure, but also many other patients requiring transplants of other organs.

The risks a surgeon must take are great, for the results may often be fatal. It takes courage and determination indeed to weather such storms, to stand tall in the face of hostility and adversity and to persevere. Such a man is Thomas Starzl, and we must celebrate such men and women who change the world with their dedication. It is a privilege for me to have met and worked side by side with such a man as Thomas Starzl and it shall always remain a great source of pride for me to call him a teacher, a mentor, and a true friend.

I take this opportunity to express my deepest condolences to his wife of 36 years, Joy Starzl, and to his family; he will be remembered by the many who knew him with great fondness and admiration for many years to come.