Tisi, Gennaro M.

Biography

Gennaro Michael Tisi (September 26, 1935-February 18, 1988), was a pulmonary specialist, both as a clinician and teacher. He earned a B.S. in chemistry, biology, and philosophy from Fordham University in 1956 and a M.D. from Georgetown University Medical School in 1960. He was a founding member of UCSD's medical school, where he worked from 1968 until his death in 1988 of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 52.

Tisi was appointed to UCSD's medical faculty following eight years of post-graduate training with the U.S. Navy, Georgetown University Hospital, and University of California, San Francisco. At UCSD he was a professor of medicine as well as the Director of the Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory at UCSD's University Hospital. In addition, he was a consultant in pulmonary disease at various U.S. Navy hospitals. Tisi was a chief of the Pulmonary Section of the San Diego Veteran Hospital and, later, Director of Clinical and Education Services in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division of the UCSD Medical Center.

His book PULMONARY PHYSIOLOGY IN CLINICAL MEDICINE (1980) was considered by some to be a standard text in the field. A second edition was published in 1983. He co-edited CLINICAL TOPICS IN INTERNAL MEDICINE (1982) and co-authored NEOPLASMS OF THE LUNG (1975-1976).

Tisi's professional activities included his role as president of the California Chapter of the American College of Chest Physicians (1979-1980) and service on committees of the American Thoracic Society. He was on the editorial boards of the journals PULMONARY PERSPECITVES OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CHEST PHYSICIANS, RESPIRATORY DISORDERS: DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT, and CHEST, JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CHEST PHYSICIANS. Among his honors, Tisi was voted by UCSD medical students to be the recipient of the UCSD/Kaiser Excellence in Teaching Award three times.