Jerome P. Kassirer (born 1932 in

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

) is an American

nephrologist Nephrology is a specialty for both adult internal medicine and pediatric medicine that concerns the study of the kidneys, specifically normal kidney function (renal physiology) and kidney disease (renal pathophysiology), the preservation of kid ...

, medical researcher, and professor at

Tufts University School of Medicine The Tufts University School of Medicine is the medical school of Tufts University, a Private university, private research university in Massachusetts. It was established in 1893 and is located on the university's health sciences campus in down ...

. He was the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of the ''

New England Journal of Medicine ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' (''NEJM'') is a weekly medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. Founded in 1812, the journal is among the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals. Its 2023 impact factor was ...

'' from 1991 to 1999.

Education and academic career

Kassirer received his

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

degree (M.D.) from the

University of Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

in 1957, and trained in

nephrology Nephrology is a specialty for both adult internal medicine and pediatric medicine that concerns the study of the kidneys, specifically normal kidney function (renal physiology) and kidney disease (renal pathophysiology), the preservation of kid ...

New England Medical Center Tufts Medical Center (until 2008 Tufts-New England Medical Center), a 15-building campus located in Boston, Massachusetts, is a downtown Boston hospital midway between Chinatown and the Boston Theater District. The hospital is a community-base ...

as a

senior resident A resident assistant (RA), also known by a variety of other names, is a trained peer leader who coordinates activities in residence halls in colleges and universities, mental health and substance abuse residential facilities, or similar establish ...

from 1961 to 1962. He joined the faculty of Tufts University School of Medicine as an instructor in 1961, where he has been a professor since 1974. His previous positions at Tufts include acting chairman of the department of medicine (1974–75), vice chairman of the department of medicine (1979–1991), and Sara Murray Jordan Professor of Medicine (1987–1991).

Medical career

Kassirer practiced nephrology at New England Medical Center from 1961 to 1991, where he was an associate physician-in-chief from 1971 to 1991 and acting physician-in-chief from 1976 to 1977. Kassirer spent much of his academic career at Tufts University School of Medicine, where he has been a professor since 1974 and currently holds the title of Distinguished Professor. In addition to his NEJM leadership, Kassirer is recognized for his contributions to medical ethics and bioethics, being an Adjunct Professor at Case Western Reserve University.

Career at the ''New England Journal of Medicine''

Kassirer was first named editor-in-chief of the ''

'' (NEJM) in 1991. As editor, he increased the number of foreign scientists on the journal's

editorial board The editorial board is a group of editors, writers, and other people who are charged with implementing a publication's approach to editorials and other opinion pieces. The editorials published normally represent the views or goals of the publicat ...

, which drew more submissions from foreign scientists. In 1999, he was forced to resign his position as ''NEJM''s editor-in-chief when the journal's publisher, the

Massachusetts Medical Society The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) is the oldest continuously operating state medical association in the United States. Incorporated on November 1, 1781, by an act of the Massachusetts General Court, the MMS is a non-profit organization t ...

, chose not to renew his contract. This decision was reportedly rooted in a dispute over marketing of the journal's name.

References

1932 births Living people The New England Journal of Medicine people Medical journal editors Tufts University School of Medicine faculty Physicians from Buffalo, New York University at Buffalo alumni American nephrologists Members of the National Academy of Medicine {{US-physician-stub