­In Memoriam: Nathaniel B. Kurnick, 99, expert in hematology, oncology

Nathaniel B. Kurnick, medical professor, clinician, and exp­­­ert in oncology and hematology, passed away February 18, 2017, at his home in Huntington Beach, CA, at the age of 99. Kurnick had been a member of ASCB since 1973.

Born on November 8, 1917, in New York City, Kurnick began his academic and medical career at Harvard University. A gifted student, he completed his undergraduate degree at the age of 18 and finished medical school at the age of 22. In 1940 he joined the U.S. Army Medical Corps and served in World War II. He completed his medical training at Mount Sinai Hospital. He was a research fellow at the Rockefeller Institute and at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

Kurnick taught at the medical schools of Tulane University; the University of California, Los Angeles; and the University of California, Irvine. He was clinical professor of medicine and practiced hematology and oncology for 24 years at the Long Beach Community Hospital. He published nearly 300 papers and contributed to the understanding of DNA, immune-mediated diseases, and bone marrow transplantation.

Those wishing to make a charitable donation in his name may do so to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

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Mary Spiro is ASCB's Strategic Communications Manager.