Login to Access Video or Poster Abstract: FRII-06
Sources of Funding: None

Introduction

Dr. Joseph E Murray was born, raised and educated in Massachusetts, where he developed a passion for science and research. Through his training and military experience, he witnessed the mysteries of graft rejection, which ultimately put him on a trajectory to become the first surgeon to perform a living donor transplant. He single-handedly transformed the world of transplant medicine into what we practice today.

Methods

Information on Dr. Murray was obtained from a thorough review of his published works, the William P. Didusch Center for Urologic History, the Nobel Prize organization, and testimonials from close friends and colleagues.

Results

Dr. Murray was born April 1, 1919 in Milford, MA. From a young age, he had a passion for science. He attended Holy Cross College where he gave up sports in order to attend science labs. Staying close to home, he attended Harvard Medical School. After completing his internship at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, he joined the Army where he met Colonel James Barrett Brown, Chief of Plastic Surgery at Valley Forge General Hospital in Pennsylvania. Together, they treated soldier's burns and were eye witnesses to the consistent rejection of skin grafts. They observed that the closer the genetic relationship between the donor and recipient, the slower the rate of rejection of the skin grafts. After leaving the military, Dr. Murray pursued research on this concept, working for years with a renal transplant team at Brigham. Then, in 1954, Dr. Murray had the opportunity to take his bench research to the bedside when identical twin Richard Herrick was hospitalized with life threatening chronic nephritis. Amid harsh criticism and skepticism, Dr. Murray and his team prepared for the first human kidney transplant, which they successfully performed on December 24, 1954. He would go on to perform the first successful transplant in a non-identical recipient and the first cadaver transplant.

Conclusions

Dr. Murray was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1990 and praised for his perseverance in the field at a time when his work was heavily criticized. In addition to his professional accomplishments, he was also a loving husband of 67 years, a father to 6 children and grandfather to 18 grandchildren. The work of Dr. Murray transformed the realm of transplant medicine and continues to give the gift of life to thousands of people to this day.

Funding

None