A Salute to Joseph Murray, MD

On May 17, The BWH Depart-ment of Surgery hosted a celebratory dinner in honor of Joseph Murray, MD, marking the 50th anniversary of the first successful human organ transplant.

During the evening, Murray, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his achievements in the field, was lauded for leading teams in several successful surgical firsts – transplants between identical twins, fraternal twins, and unrelated individuals, as well as the first introduction of immunosuppressive drugs.

Nicholas Tilney, MD, and Hugh Auchincloss, MD, offered personal thanks to Murray and shared stories of their respective experiences with him. “Dr. Murray taught me many things, but two that have always remained with me through the years are composure and competition. It has been a great privilege to work with him. He not only changed my career; he changed my life,” said Tilney.