Bahnson, Henry T., 1920-

Henry Theodore Bahnson was the longest serving chairman of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (1963-1987) and a world renowned transplant surgeon. Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1920, Dr. Bahnson graduated from Davidson College in 1941. He then traveled to Boston to complete his graduate work at Harvard University Medical School. After graduation in 1944, Bahnson moved with his wife, Louise Porter, to Baltimore, Maryland, where he began an internship in surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. While at Johns Hopkins, Bahnson trained with renowned surgeon Dr. Alfred Blalock, one of the pioneers in the field of cardiac surgery. Bahnson spent the early part of his career involved in clinical investigation and introduction of new techniques within vascular and cardiac surgery. Bahnson remained at Johns Hopkins until 1963, eventually achieving the rank of professor within the University. In 1963 Bahnson accepted the George V. Foster Chairmanship of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. In addition to his personal feats in cardiovascular transplantation - such as performing the first heart transplant in Pennsylvania in 1968 - Bahnson actively recruited leaders within the field of medicine, helping to raise both the University's Medical School and the University's Medical Center to international prominence. Dr. Bahnson is credited with recruiting Dr. Thomas E. Starzl, known by many as the "Father of Transplantation." While at the University of Pittsburgh, Bahnson served on the surgical staff of UPMC Presbyterian (formerly Presbyterian-University Hospital), Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System. He was president of numerous professional groups during his career: the Society of University Surgeons (1965), the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (1976-1977), the American College of Surgeons (1983-1984), the American Surgical Association (1987-1988) and the Johns Hopkins Medical and Surgical Association (1989-1990). He was also a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the International Society for Heart Transplantation, and the Transplant Recipient International Organization. Dr. Bahnson and his wife were the parents of five children. Dr. Bahnson died in his Pittsburgh home in April, 2003.