Thomas E. Starzl Prize In Surgery And Immunology
The Thomas E. Starzl Prize in Surgery and Immunology, previously known as the Annual Thomas E. Starzl Lectureship, was established in 1996 by the Department of Surgery and subsequently endowed by Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc. (currently Astellas Pharma, Inc.) to honor the clinical and scientific contributions of Dr. Thomas E. Starzl. Outstanding national and international leaders who have made significant contributions to the fields of organ transplantation and immunology are invited to the University of Pittsburgh to present their work and receive the prize.
Dr. Starzl joined the University of Pittsburgh in 1981 to direct the Pittsburgh Transplantation Institute, which was renamed in 1996 the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute. He now holds the position of Professor of Surgery and Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Starzl was the first to transplant kidneys in humans with consistent success, perform liver transplantation, and successfully transplant human intestines. He introduced four commonly used immunosuppressive drugs (prednisone, ALG, cyclophosphamide, and tacrolimus) for clinical transplantation. The discovery in 1992 by Dr. Starzl and colleagues of donor-derived leukocytes in the tissues of long-term functioning organ transplant recipients unmasked a fundamental principle of transplantation tolerance. Dr. Starzl’s seminal contributions to the field of organ transplantation and immunology have been recognized around the globe. His most recent distinctions include the 2004 National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest scientific honor, the 2009 Department of Veterans Affairs Diamond Award for lifetime achievement in the field of transplantation medicine, the 2009 Institute of Medicine Gustav O. Lienhard Award, and the 2012 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for the development of liver transplantation.
2024 Prize
May 22, 2024
Rene J. Duquesnoy, PhD
• Professor Emeritus of Pathology
• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Recent Awardees
2023 Prize: Sir Robert Lechler – Senior Vice President/Provost (Health) and Executive Director of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre, London. 2023 Prize Poster
2020 Prize: Satoru Todo, MD, PhD – Professor of Organ Transplant at The Graduate School of St. Mary’s College in Fukuoka, Japan. 25th Anniversary Starzl Prize Poster.
2019 Prize: Jonathan Sprent, MBBS, PhD – Professor of Immunology at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia. 2019 Prize Poster
2018 Prize: Ali Naji, MD – J. William White Professor of Surgery, director of the JDRF-Penn Islet Transplantation Program, and associate director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. 2018 Prize Poster
All Previous Awardees
2023
Professor Sir Robert Lechler
2020
Satoru Todo, MD, PhD
2019
Jonathan Sprent, MBBS, PhD
2018
Ali Naji, MD, PhD
2017
Kathryn Wood, DPhil
2016
David E.R. Sutherland, MD, PhD
2015
John J. Fung, MD, PhD
2014
Terry B. Strom, MD
2013
Joel D. Cooper, MD
2012
David H. Sachs, MD
2012
A. Benedict Cosimi, MD
2011
Ronald W. Busuttil
2010
Ralph M. Steinman
2009
Clyde F. Barker
2008
Herman Waldmann
2007
Christian P. Larsen
2006
Nancy L. Ascher
2005
Richard L. Simmons
2004
Norman Shumway
2003
Robert S. Schwartz
2002
Sir Roy Y. Calne
2001
Rolf M. Zinkernagel
2000
Francis D. Moore
1999
Gustav Nossal
1998
Henri Bismuth
1997
Carl-Gustav Groth
1996
Paul I. Terasaki
Call for Nominations: 2025 Thomas E. Starzl Prize in Surgery & Immunology
The Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute will soon be accepting nominations for the 2025 Thomas E. Starzl Prize in Surgery and Immunology, awarded annually to a national or international leader in the field of organ transplantation and immunology.
The deadline for receipt of all 2025 nominations materials will be announced in the coming months.