American gastroenterologist
Joseph Barnett Kirsner (September 21, 1909 – July 7, 2012) was an American gastroenterologist and Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. He was a pioneer in the field of digestive system disorders and was the first person to show the increased risk of colon cancer in patients with ulcerative colitis.
Early life.
Kirsner was born on September 21, 1909, in a Jewish family. He was the eldest of five children. In 1933, Kirsner moved to Chicago after graduating from the Tufts University School of Medicine. Kirsner married Minnie Schneider, whom he met at Woodlawn Hospital on Chicago's South Side. While at University of Chicago, he published 750 papers and wrote six editions of a textbook on inflammatory bowel disease. In 1935, he joined the University of Chicago faculty and continued to see patients till the age of 100.
He had been instrumental in founding the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
Awards and recognition.
Over the course of his career, he was awarded twice with a lifetime achievement award by the Crohn's &amp; Colitis Foundation of America. He also received the Distinguished Educator Award from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA).
Death.
In 2012, Kirsner died of kidney failure in Chicago. He was 102 years old.
References.
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