John Satterfield Fordtran (November 15, 1931 – February 23, 2025) was an American emeritus professor of

gastroenterology Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- "belly", -énteron "intestine", and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, sometime ...

and past president of the

American Society for Clinical Investigation The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), established in 1908, is one of the oldest and most respected medical honor societies in the United States. Organization and purpose The ASCI is an honorary society to which more than 2,800 p ...

Education and career

Fordtran was born in November 1931 in

San Antonio, TX San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the U ...

. He went to high school at the

Texas Military Institute TMI Episcopal is a private school in San Antonio. Previously known as Texas Military Institute, TMI is a selective coeducational Episcopal college preparatory school with a military tradition in San Antonio, Texas for boarding and day students. I ...

, graduating in 1949. Fordtran graduated from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

in 1952 in biology, and from

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

in 1956 with an MD. He trained in

internal medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...

Parkland Memorial Hospital Parkland Memorial Hospital is a public hospital located in Dallas, Texas. It is the main hospital of the Parkland Health & Hospital System and serves as Dallas County's public hospital. It is located within the Southwestern Medical Distri ...

from 1956 to 1958. He then briefly worked at the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

and as chair of medicine at Fort Defiance Indian Hospital in Arizona. He was a research fellow under Franz Ingelfinger from 1960 to 1962. Donald Seldin recruited him back to

UT Southwestern The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern or UTSW) is a public academic health science center in Dallas, Texas. With approximately 23,000 employees, more than 3,000 full-time faculty, and nearly 4 million outpatient ...

, where he started as an instructor and became chief of

in 1963 and full professor of medicine in 1969. He was elected to the

in 1968 and was elected president in 1976. Fordtran became chair of the department of medicine at

Baylor University Medical Center Baylor University Medical Center (Baylor Dallas or BUMC), part of Baylor Scott & White Health, is a not-for-profit hospital in Dallas, Texas. It has 1,200 licensed beds and is one of the major centers for patient care, medical training and re ...

in 1991. Fordtran died in the rural North Texas farm he loved so much, surrounded by family. Fordtran died on February 23, 2025, at the age of 93.

Honors and awards

* 1984 King Faisal Prize in Medicine * 1971

American Gastroenterological Association The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is a medical association of gastroenterologists. Approximately 16,000 scientists and physicians are members of the organization. Overview The American Gastroenterological Association is a prof ...

Distinguished Achievement Award * 1990 Joseph B. Kirsner Award for Distinguished Achievement in Clinical Research in Gastroenterology, Miles and Shirley Fiterman Foundation * 1991

NIH MERIT Award The NIH MERIT award (Method To Extend Research in Time) Award (R37) was created by the National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical an ...

* 1991 Distinguished Educator Award, American Gastroenterological Association

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fordtran, John American gastroenterologists University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center faculty Baylor University faculty Tulane University School of Medicine alumni 1931 births 2025 deaths