Peter Elsbach (9 November 1924 – 10 May 2020) was a Dutch physician. He was professor of medicine at the

New York University School of Medicine The New York University Grossman School of Medicine is a medical school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1841 and is one of two medical schools of the university, the other being the NYU G ...

. He specialized in biochemistry, infectious diseases and natural anti-bacterial host defense.

Life

Elsbach was born on 9 November 1924 in

Zeist Zeist () is the Capital city, capital and largest town of the Zeist (municipality), municipality of Zeist. The town is located in the Utrecht (province), Utrecht province of the Netherlands, east of the city of Utrecht. History The town of " ...

. He spent his youth in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

and during World War II was made prisoner by the Japanese. In 1950 he obtained a degree in medicine from the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...

. The next three years he was an intern at the local hospital. In 1953 he moved to the United States where he started residency training at the New York University School of Medicine. From 1956 to 1959 he did clinical fellowships at

Rockefeller University The Rockefeller University is a Private university, private Medical research, biomedical Research university, research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and pro ...

. After returning to the New York University School of Medicine in 1959, he obtained his PhD in Medical Sciences from

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

in 1964 with his dissertation ''Uptake of Lipid by Phagocytic Cells. An Examination of the Role of Phagocytosis''. Elsbach worked for the New York University School of Medicine for more than 40 years. Elsbach was elected a corresponding member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (, KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed in the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. In addition to various advisory a ...

in 1979. He received an honorary degree from

Lund University Lund University () is a Public university, public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially foun ...

in 1993. In 2008 he received honorary life membership of the International Endotoxin and Innate Immunity Society. Elsbach was a member 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 ...

. Elsbach died on 10 May 2020 at the age of 95.

References

1924 births 2020 deaths Dutch emigrants to the United States Dutch immunologists Leiden University alumni Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences New York University Grossman School of Medicine faculty People from Zeist University of Amsterdam alumni {{Netherlands-med-bio-stub