By Joyce M. Fried

The gastroenterology community is saddened and shocked by the sudden death in June of Dr. John H. Walsh, distinguished leader, outstanding scientist, generous collaborator, inspiring mentor, and warm human being who loved people. His career in the field of gastroenterology spanned more than 30 years and resulted in more than 400 original publications.

Dr. Walsh's scientific contributions advanced our understanding of the regulation of gastric secretion and the physiology of gastrointestinal tract hormones. His work has advanced our knowledge through landmark observations at all levels of gastrointestinal physiology from molecular biology of the receptors and signal transduction mechanisms that immediately precede acid secretion to the integrated events that cause acid secretion or the disordered factors underlying acid-related diseases. Among the many facts of his life as an investigator was his special expertise in the development of radioimmunoassays well exemplified by those for the determination of gastrin and its variant forms in serum.

The numerous prestigious honors and awards bestowed upon him are indicative of the esteem in which he was held by his colleagues. Most recently, he received the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Kirsner Award for Clinical Research in Gastroenterology in 1993, the Distinguished Achievement Award of the AGA in 1998, and the Distinguished Research Award in Gastrointestinal Physiology from the American Physiological Society in 2000.

At the time of his death Dr. Walsh was the Dorothy and Leonard Straus Professor of Medicine, Director of the CURE Digestive Diseases Research Center, a position he held for the last 13 years, and Research Chief of the Division of Digestive Diseases at UCLA. In addition to his leadership at his own institution, he was also selfless in devoting his energies to national and international organizations including the American Gastroenterological Association, which he served as President in 1994/95. His accomplishments also included past service on the Advisory Council of the NIDDK as well as to several journals in the field. He was currently serving as the first editor of Gastroenterology News, a new special section of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Walsh leaves behind scores of trainees and colleagues who have benefited from his intellectual and personal generosity. His best discussions were held either in the hallways at CURE or in the doorways of his colleagues' offices late in the afternoon or on weekends as he looked in on his constituents, offering an encouraging word, sharing a creative new idea, or chatting about academic politics.

He was an avid sports fan, an insatiable reader, an expert at solving the crossword puzzle that appeared in Sunday's New York Times, and an afficionado of the game of golf. He loved to travel and rarely turned down an invitation to a scientific meeting or to give a lecture. Thus, he had legions of friends all over the world. By the same token, his home was always open to his friends to the point that those close to him teased him that he ran a hotel. He enjoyed cooking and threw wonderful parties including his annual 4th of July bash. He took no greater pleasure than spending time with his grandchildren.

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Dr. Walsh earned undergraduate and medical degrees from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and served as an officer at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. After serving as a Research Associate in the laboratories of Rosalind Yalow and Solomon Berson at the Bronx VA in New York, he moved to Los Angeles in 1970 to work with Morton I. Grossman at UCLA, where he rapidly climbed the academic ladder.

His loss is irreplaceable in the lives of his family, his friends, and his colleagues and is felt most strongly at his beloved CURE.

A fund has been set up in the UCLA School of Medicine to honor Dr. Walsh’s memory. It will be used to create an endowment that will establish an annual research award for young scientists since career development was one of Dr. Walsh’s strong commitments. Donations in memory of Dr. Walsh can be made to "UC Regents/Walsh Memorial Fund" and sent to Dr. Leonard Rome, Senior Associate Dean for Research, UCLA School of Medicine, 10833 Le Conte Ave., Suite 12-138, Los Angeles, California 90095-1722.