Dr. McDevitt Intro

He sort of jumped right into his lecture before I got the chance to give this introduction, which is sort of a pity because he's a really interesting guy. Here it is for those who are interested:


Dr. Hugh McDevitt has had a very distinguished career. He began with getting his BA degree in biology at Stanford in 1952, graduating with honors. Three years later he received his MD degree from Harvard. He interned at Peter Brent Brigham Hospital in Boston followed by residency at Bellevue Hospital in New York. He then spent two years in Japan with the US Army as a Captain in the Medical Corps before returning to a postdoc position at Harvard and then completing his residency at Brigham. He spent some time as a Special Fellow at the National Institute for Medical Research in London before returning to Harvard to become an instructor in 1964, the same year my mentor, PJ Utz, was born.

In 1966 Dr. McDevitt became a professor at Stanford in the department of medicine. From 1970 to 1976 he was the Chief of the division of immunology, and at about roughly the same time was also director of the clinical immunology laboratory. From 1986 to 1990, he was the chairman of the department of microbiology and immunology at the Stanford med school, and from1988 to 2001 he was a Burt and Marion Avery Professor of Immunology (endowed).

He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards. Just to name a few of the more prestigious ones, he was admitted to the National Academy of Sciences in 1977 and the Institute of Medicine in 1983. In 1984 he received the American College of Physicians Award for Research in Medical Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Science. In 1986 he was awarded the Lee C Howley, Sr. Prize for Research in Arthritis. A year later in 1987 he was awarded the Paul Erlich Prize. In 1995 he was elected to the Royal Society in London. I could keep going, but then we wouldn’t have time to actually hear him speak.

Some other interesting facts: Dr. McDevitt and his wife just recently returned from Italy where they got to see the treausures of Firenze and the ruins of Leopard’s houses in Sicily. One of his best friend’s is Lorenzo di Medici at the National Gallery in Washington. He also is a huge dog lover and has a 3 year old Labrador named Pippi.