Member Obituaries.
The ISOP regretfully acknowledges recently deceased members by listing obituaries on this page.
2014
2014
Dr. Gordon Klintworth
Dr. Gordon Klintworth was the founder and first president of the International Society of Ophthalmic Pathologists. He was a true world leader in corneal research, primarily in the area of genetically determined corneal disease. Dr. Klintworth died on August 8, 2014 from cancer.
The durability and productivity of Gordon Klintworth’s academic medical research career is verified by his having been continuously funded for more than 50 years: from his National Institutes of Health funded Fellowship in Neuropathology in 1962 until his retirement from Duke University in 2011.
Dr. Klintworth was born on August 4, 1932 in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand, a public research institution in Johannesburg, South Africa, initially with an interest in neurology that evolved into intense fascination with neuropathology. However, because of civil unrest in South Africa and with the encouragement of his mentor, Neville Proctor, he decided to emigrate with his wife, Felicity and their oldest daughter, Susan, to Duke University. He had never visited the United States prior to that time and knew very little about Duke University.
He arrived at Duke University at a very propitious time: ophthalmic pathology was emerging as a defined service in the Department of Pathology, Dr. Joseph A.C. Wadsworth was appointed as the first chair of the new Department of Ophthalmology, and with the encouragement of Research to Prevent Blindness the National Eye Institute was established. He was among the first to apply for and be awarded a grant at the NEI, initially for a RO1 grant and subsequently for a Career Development Award.
Some of his earliest work was with the neuroophthalmologst, Lawton Smith, in determining the anatomic basis of skew deviation. Throughout his career he was among the first to use innovative investigative techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry and molecular biology. He was the first to describe the biologic defect in macular corneal dystrophy (mucopolysaccharide abnormality) and lattice corneal dystrophy (amyloid abnormality). He also was at the forefront of identifying a single genetic defect (BIGH3, TGFBI) as the basis for three clinical entities that had been thought to be separate clinical entities.
Dr. Wadsworth encouraged the majority of his early research although they could not agree if the ophthalmic pathology laboratory should be in the Department of Pathology or the Department of Ophthalmology. Ultimately Dr. Klintworth’s position prevailed, which has subsequently influenced a national and international trend for Pathology Departments to include Ophthalmic Pathology.
Dr. Klintworth was appointed Director of Research in the Department of Ophthalmology by the subsequent chair, Robert Machemer. Dr. Klintworth promoted ophthalmic pathology research to medical students and clinician-scientists inclusively. During his time Dr. Klintworth was awarded an NIH Core Grant by coordinating the research efforts of Duke University, The University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University (“Triangle Park”) that continues as a research consortium to this day.
Dr. Klintworth was an active participant of the tremendous expansion of both clinical and research activities at Duke accomplished by the next chair of Ophthalmology, David Epstein. Of his many publications his two-volume work Garner and Klintworth: Pathobiology of Ocular Disease with noted British Ophthalmic Pathologist Alec Garner was probably among the most influential.
Dr. Klintworth founded the International Society of Ophthalmic Pathology (ISOP) and became its first president in 1988. This group continues to have an international presence under the current president, Sarah Coupland, MD, PhD.
In honour of Dr Klintworth’s contributions to ocular pathology, the ISOP will hold a ‘Klintworth lecture’ as part of its symposium every two years at the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC) and this lecture, to be given by a person of standing in eye pathology, will be published in the Journal “Ocular Oncology and Pathology”.
Dr. Klintworth’s contributions to neuropathology, ophthalmic research and particularly ophthalmic pathology will continue to be the basis for new discoveries in ophthalmology for decades to come.
J. Douglas Cameron, MD, MBA
12 September 2014
2012
Dr. Gordon Klintworth was the founder and first president of the International Society of Ophthalmic Pathologists. He was a true world leader in corneal research, primarily in the area of genetically determined corneal disease. Dr. Klintworth died on August 8, 2014 from cancer.
The durability and productivity of Gordon Klintworth’s academic medical research career is verified by his having been continuously funded for more than 50 years: from his National Institutes of Health funded Fellowship in Neuropathology in 1962 until his retirement from Duke University in 2011.
Dr. Klintworth was born on August 4, 1932 in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand, a public research institution in Johannesburg, South Africa, initially with an interest in neurology that evolved into intense fascination with neuropathology. However, because of civil unrest in South Africa and with the encouragement of his mentor, Neville Proctor, he decided to emigrate with his wife, Felicity and their oldest daughter, Susan, to Duke University. He had never visited the United States prior to that time and knew very little about Duke University.
He arrived at Duke University at a very propitious time: ophthalmic pathology was emerging as a defined service in the Department of Pathology, Dr. Joseph A.C. Wadsworth was appointed as the first chair of the new Department of Ophthalmology, and with the encouragement of Research to Prevent Blindness the National Eye Institute was established. He was among the first to apply for and be awarded a grant at the NEI, initially for a RO1 grant and subsequently for a Career Development Award.
Some of his earliest work was with the neuroophthalmologst, Lawton Smith, in determining the anatomic basis of skew deviation. Throughout his career he was among the first to use innovative investigative techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry and molecular biology. He was the first to describe the biologic defect in macular corneal dystrophy (mucopolysaccharide abnormality) and lattice corneal dystrophy (amyloid abnormality). He also was at the forefront of identifying a single genetic defect (BIGH3, TGFBI) as the basis for three clinical entities that had been thought to be separate clinical entities.
Dr. Wadsworth encouraged the majority of his early research although they could not agree if the ophthalmic pathology laboratory should be in the Department of Pathology or the Department of Ophthalmology. Ultimately Dr. Klintworth’s position prevailed, which has subsequently influenced a national and international trend for Pathology Departments to include Ophthalmic Pathology.
Dr. Klintworth was appointed Director of Research in the Department of Ophthalmology by the subsequent chair, Robert Machemer. Dr. Klintworth promoted ophthalmic pathology research to medical students and clinician-scientists inclusively. During his time Dr. Klintworth was awarded an NIH Core Grant by coordinating the research efforts of Duke University, The University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University (“Triangle Park”) that continues as a research consortium to this day.
Dr. Klintworth was an active participant of the tremendous expansion of both clinical and research activities at Duke accomplished by the next chair of Ophthalmology, David Epstein. Of his many publications his two-volume work Garner and Klintworth: Pathobiology of Ocular Disease with noted British Ophthalmic Pathologist Alec Garner was probably among the most influential.
Dr. Klintworth founded the International Society of Ophthalmic Pathology (ISOP) and became its first president in 1988. This group continues to have an international presence under the current president, Sarah Coupland, MD, PhD.
In honour of Dr Klintworth’s contributions to ocular pathology, the ISOP will hold a ‘Klintworth lecture’ as part of its symposium every two years at the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC) and this lecture, to be given by a person of standing in eye pathology, will be published in the Journal “Ocular Oncology and Pathology”.
Dr. Klintworth’s contributions to neuropathology, ophthalmic research and particularly ophthalmic pathology will continue to be the basis for new discoveries in ophthalmology for decades to come.
J. Douglas Cameron, MD, MBA
12 September 2014
2012
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September 23, 2012
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