Rudi Schmid
University of California, San Francisco
May 2, 1922 - October 20, 2007
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Scientific Discipline: Medical Physiology and Metabolism Membership Type:
Member
(elected 1974)
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Rudi Schmid was a pioneering figure in the American medical field. He was instrumental in the increased accessibility of liver transplants as well as massive improvements in the survival rate of this lifesaving operation. As a hematologist with the National Institute of Health, Schmid made a number of instrumental discoveries, including identifying the root cause of McArdle’s disease and inventing a method for the production of a type of bilirubin that advanced the ability of scientists and medical professionals to study the various properties of this bile pigment.
After serving in the Swiss Army as a ski instructor during World War II, Schmid received his medical degree in 1950 from the University of Zurich. He earned his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1954. In 1955, Schmid was appointed senior hematologist for the National Institute of Health. He then embarked on an academic career with positions at Harvard University, the University of Chicago, and finally, the University of California, San Francisco, where he served as the dean of the School of Medicine from 1983 to 1989. Schmid held the honor of membership in both the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine.
