Thomas Earl Starzl (March 11, 1926 – March 4, 2017) was an American physician, researcher, and expert on organ transplants. He performed the first human liver transplants and has often been referred to as "the father of modern transplantation."
In recognition of his many contributions and to honor his legacy, the Thomas Starzl Memorial lecture has become a permanent feature of IHPBA’s biennial World Congress.
We are honoured that Dr John Fung (United States) will give the Thomas Starzl Memorial Lecture
at the IHPBA 2022 World Congress.
John J. Fung MD, PhD; USA
Transplant Oncology - The Past, Present and Future
Saturday, April 2, 2022
13:00 - 13:30 hrs
Thomas Starzl Memorial Lecture
John J. Fung, M.D., Ph.D. is the Director of the UChicago Medicine Transplant Institute. Prior to that, he served as Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Transplantation and the Chairman of the Digestive Disease Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, as well as the former Chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. With over 30 years of involvement in kidney, liver, pancreas, islet, and intestinal transplantation, he is also an accomplished immunologist.
Dr. Fung received his B.A. from the Johns Hopkins University in 1975, followed by a Ph.D. in Immunology in 1980 and M.D. in 1982 from the University of Chicago. He completed his surgical residency at the University of Rochester, and a transplant surgery fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh, under the guidance of Dr. Thomas Starzl. Between 1987 and 1988, he served as Director of Histocompatibility Testing at the University of Rochester. In 1989, he joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, and held the tenured position as the inaugural Thomas E. Starzl Professor in Surgery. In 2004, he was recruited to Cleveland as Chairman of the Department of Surgery, the Director of the Cleveland Clinic Transplant Center and the Medical Director of Allogen Laboratory, one of the largest histocompatibility laboratories in the United States. In 2016, Dr. Fung returned to the University of Chicago as Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery and is the inaugural Director of the UChicago Medicine Transplant Institute
Dr. Fung is a member of numerous scientific and surgical societies and served as President of the International Liver Transplantation Society from 1997-1999. He is currently Secretary of the Transplantation Society. He has published over 1,000 articles and book chapters and serves on the editorial board for several medical journals, including the Editor-in-Chief for Liver Transplantation. His principal research interests are in transplantation immunology, immunosuppressive therapies, and liver related immunology. He has received funding from the NIH, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and industry. In addition, he has received numerous prestigious lay and professional awards. His research interests are in transplant immunology, liver immunity, immnosuppression, and outcomes analysis.
Dr. Fung is active in community affairs and is a member of the Board of Directors at the Americans for Medical Progress and the Gift of Hope Organ Procurement Organization. He received an honorable discharge from the United States Army Reserve Medical Corps with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He and his wife, Beth live in Chicago, IL and have four children, Justin, Lauren, Brendan and Shannon.