John F. Kurtzke

John Kurtzke

John Kurtzke Veteran Admin

John Kurtzke Veteran Admin
Born John Francis Kurtzke
September 14, 1926
Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Died December 1, 2015(2015-12-01) (aged 89)
Falls Church, Virginia
Fields Neurology, Neuroepidemiology
Institutions Georgetown University
Alma mater Weill Cornell Medical College
Known for Expanded Disability Status Scale
Notable awards 1999 Charcot Award, 1997 Dystel Prize
Notes

John Francis Kurtzke (September 14, 1926 – December 1, 2015) was a pioneering neuroepidemiologist and Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University who is best known for his creation of the Expanded Disability Status Scale and for his research on multiple sclerosis (MS).[1] After graduating from Cornell University Medical College in 1952, Dr. Kurtzke started his career in the field of neurology as Chief of the Neurology Service at the Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Medical Centers in Coatesville, PA, from 1956 to 1963, and then in Washington, DC, from 1963 to 1995, where he became Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University. Until his death he was Professor Emeritus at Georgetown University.

Kurtzke disability status scale KDSS
Kurtzke 1983 map of Multiple sclerosis in the USA
Kurtzke 1983 map of Multiple sclerosis in the world
Kurtzke_map_of_MS_in_Scandinavia
Kurtzke map of Faroe islands MS cases

Most of his work dealt with multiple sclerosis (MS). In particular, Dr Kurtzke is widely known for his Expanded Disability Status Scale or EDSS (a method of quantifying disability in multiple sclerosis)[2] and for his pioneering work in the field of neuroepidemiology, a branch of epidemiology he helped to establish in 1967 with Dr. Len Kurland and Dr. Milton Alter.[3]

He was a leading world expert on geographical patterns of prevalence of multiple sclerosis.[4][5][6] Kurtzke's results have played a major role in promoting the study of the viral component of MS susceptibility.[7]

The author of more than 200 peer-reviewed articles,[8][9][10] he has received several awards including the 1999 Charcot Award by the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation[11] and the 1997 Dystel prize for MS research awarded by the American Academy of neurology.[12]

In 2009, the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) and the American Academy of Neurology Foundation (AANF) have created the John F. Kurtzke, MD, FAAN, Clinician-Scientist Development Three-Year Award, a jointly-sponsored fellowship in multiple sclerosis research, "to honor the contributions of Dr. Kurtzke and inspire new MS healthcare professionals to follow in his path."[13]

Like Klaus Lauer,[14] J. Kurtzke has dedicated a large part of his work to the study of MS in the Faroe Islands, with extensive studies dealing with the British occupation of the islands.,[15][16][17][18][19] starting what the New York Times called the MS "medical detective story".[20] He died on December 1, 2015.[21]

References

  1. ↑ "JOHN KURTZKE Obituary - Falls Church, VA - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  2. ↑ Kurtzke JF (November 1983). "Rating neurologic impairment in multiple sclerosis: an expanded disability status scale (EDSS)". Neurology 33 (11): 1444–52. doi:10.1212/WNL.33.11.1444. PMID 6685237.
  3. ↑ Dr V Feigin, personal communication with Dr J Kurtzke.
  4. ↑ http://www.direct-ms.org/pdf/GeneralInfoMS/CompstonStory.pdf[]
  5. ↑ "Geography in multiple sclerosis". Journal of Neurology 215: 1–26. doi:10.1007/BF00312546. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Multiple sclerosis from an epidemiological viewpoint". Multiple Sclerosis: 83–142. doi:10.1007/978-94-010-9534-1_4. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Owens GP and Bennett JL (2012). "Trigger, pathogen, or bystander: the complex nexus linking Epstein- Barr virus and multiple sclerosis.". Mult. Scler. 18: 1204–8. doi:10.1177/1352458512448109. PMID 22685062.
  8. ↑ http://www.medigraphic.com/pdfs/arcneu/ane-2006/ane062e.pdf
  9. ↑ http://www.va.gov/MS/Professionals/research/KurtzkeMonograph.pdf
  10. ↑ http://www.va.gov/MS/Professionals/research/Kurtzke_Slides.pdf
  11. ↑ http://rm2-msif-live.torchboxapps.com/en/research/msif_research_awards/the_charcot.html[]
  12. ↑ http://www.nationalmssociety.org/ms-clinical-care-network/researchers/get-funding/john-dystel-prize/index.aspx[]
  13. ↑ http://www.cmscfoundation.org/news2/press-releases/46-press-releases/125-new-multiple-sclerosis-fellowship-created-in-the-name-of-pioneer-neuroepidemiologist-john-f-kurtzke-md-faan[]
  14. ↑ Lauer K (1988). "Multiple sclerosis in relation to industrial and commercial activities in the Faroe Islands". Neuroepidemiology 7 (4): 228–33. doi:10.1159/000110155. PMID 3264057.
  15. ↑ Kurtzke JF, Hyllested K (January 1979). "Multiple sclerosis in the Faroe Islands: I. Clinical and epidemiological features". Annals of Neurology 5 (1): 6–21. doi:10.1002/ana.410050104. PMID 371519.
  16. ↑ Kurtzke JF, Hyllested K (1988). "Validity of the epidemics of multiple sclerosis in the Faroe Islands". Neuroepidemiology 7 (4): 190–227. doi:10.1159/000110154. PMID 3264056.
  17. ↑ "Multiple sclerosis in the Faroe Islands. 5.". Acta Neurologica Scandinavica 88: 161–173. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0404.1993.tb04211.x. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  18. ↑ http://www.karger.jp/Article/Pdf/110917
  19. ↑ John F. Kurtzke. "Multiple sclerosis in the Faroe Islands.". Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  20. ↑ "MS: A MEDICAL DETECTIVE STORY". The New York Times. 22 June 1982. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  21. ↑ "National MS Society Mourns the Passing of Dr. John Kurtzke". National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Retrieved 21 December 2015.

External links

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