Thomas B. Fitzpatrick
Thomas Bernard Fitzpatrick | |
---|---|
Born | Madison, Wisconsin | December 19, 1919
Died | November 16, 2003 Lexington, Massachusetts | (aged 83)
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Dermatologist |
Years active | 1952–1987 |
Known for | research on melanoma and UV exposure |
Notable work | The Validity and Practicality of Sun-Reactive Skin Types I Through VI |
Thomas B. Fitzpatrick (December 19, 1919 – November 16, 2003) was an American dermatologist. He was Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Massachusetts General Hospital Dermatology Service from 1959 to 1987. He has been described as "the father of modern academic dermatology" and as "the most influential dermatologist of the last 100 years", in part because he trained so many of the leaders in the field.[1]
Early life, education, and career
Fitzpatrick was born in
At the age of 32, fresh out of training, he became Professor and Chair of Dermatology at the University of Oregon. In 1959, still only 39, he was named chair of the Dermatology Department at Harvard Medical School, the youngest professor and chair at Harvard.[2]
Research
He conducted early research on melanoma. In 1966 he and dermatopathologist Wallace H. Clark Jr., together with John Raker and Martin C. Mihm Jr., created the first Pigmented Lesion Clinic in the United States at Massachusetts General Hospital. Clark's studies at that clinic resulted in the Clark's level system, which uses the microscopic appearance of a melanoma to predict its clinical course and prognosis. Fitzpatrick's group also produced the first systematic study of the early warning signs of melanoma.[3]
He investigated the role of sunlight and especially
He created and edited the first major clinical reference book in the field, Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine, currently in its 8th edition.[7]
Personal
His hobby was collecting quotations, of which he had so many that he co-edited a column in The Boston Globe called "Reflection for the Day"[1] in partnership with his wife of nearly 60 years, Beatrice Devaney Fitzpatrick.[2] They had five children. He died August 16, 2003, at his home in Lexington, Massachusetts.
References
- ^
- ^ a b c "Thomas B. Fitzpatrick". Harvard Gazette. September 22, 2005. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- PMID 15009760.
- PMID 31367171.
- ^ Fitzpatrick TB: "Soleil et peau [Sun and skin]". Journal de Médecine Esthétique 1975; 2:33–34
- PMID 5786516.
- ISBN 978-0071669047.[page needed]