In Memorium

We are saddened to report that Alfred A. de Lorimier, a groundbreaking pediatric surgeon, died Oct. 4, 2009 at his Alexander Valley home at the age of 78.

Dr. de Lorimier attended Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco and then matriculated to the University of California, Berkeley for undergraduate studies where he excelled in track and field. He received his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine in 1956 and completed his surgical residency at UCSF in 1962. He continued his studies in pediatric surgery at the Columbus Children's Hospital-Ohio State University, which, at that time, had one of the few pediatric surgery training programs in North America. He then returned to UCSF in 1964 to establish the first university-based specialty of pediatric surgery in Northern California.

Over the next forty years, Dr. de Lorimier built a thriving clinical practice devoted entirely to children, working primarily at UCSF Moffitt-Long and San Francisco General Hospitals. His devotion to academic service is prominently exemplified by his establishment of the Division of Pediatric Surgery at UCSF and through funding for basic research in the physiology of diaphragmatic hernia in fetal lambs which he obtained at a time when most surgeons did not pursue research.

Dr. de Lorimier helped to pioneer a number of seminal advances in the practice of pediatric surgery. He and his colleague, the late Fred Belzer, were the first to perform kidney transplantation after total nephrectomy for bilateral Wilms' Tumor and a liver transplant in a 9-month old infant born with biliary atresia. He was also an innovator of techniques to treat babies with airway problems affecting the tracheobronchial tree. One of his research interests was the study of abnormal intestinal motility as seen in some newborn infants with intestinal obstruction. From his initial work in a dog model in the laboratory, he developed an operative procedure (bowel imbrication) that helped restore motility, which he then applied successfully in a number of infants with this disorder. In a truly remarkable undertaking, Dr. de Lorimier successfully developed an effective animal model for congenital diaphragmatic hernia by removing a portion of the diaphragm in fetal lambs early in gestation. From this work repairing the diaphragmatic defect early in fetal life was conceived, thus allowing the lungs to hopefully develop normally during the remainder of gestation. At this time Dr. de Lorimier recruited Dr. Michael Harrison to join him, and they continued to use the lamb model to develop innovative tools and surgical methods that could be applied to human fetuses. Based on the foundation which Dr. de Lorimier laid,  Dr. Harrison went on to establish the field of fetal surgery, treating the fetus as a patient. Dr. de Lorimier was also quite interested in the management of children with cancer. He served on the National Wilms Tumor Study Group for many years and was Vice-Chair of the Surgery Committee for the Children's Cancer Group with a special interest in the management of children with neuroblastoma. His sustained academic productivity is manifest in numerous scientific publications and book chapters. He served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Pediatric Surgery for more than 25 years.

Dr. de Lorimier was active in numerous organizations devoted to advancing pediatric surgery. In 1970 he helped to found the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) and was APSA's 22nd President in 1991-1992. He also chaired the Surgical Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics from 1977 to 1983. From 1970-1972, he served PAPS as Treasurer. He was a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, served as a Director of the American Board of Surgery from 1983 to 1990, and was a member of numerous regional and national professional organizations, including the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons, the American Surgical Association, the Society of University Surgeons, and the Halsted Society.Dr. de Lorimier established an endowed chair at the University of California at San Francisco to advance surgical education, training and research. His legacy in the world of pediatric surgery is profound: dozens of pediatric and fetal surgeons have come out of the division he started alone in 1964, many of them influential leaders in the field today.

In retirement he founded the de Lorimier Vineyard in Geyserville, California, but continued to advise pediatric surgeons worldwide via a website.

His death is a loss for the entire field of pediatric surgery and pediatrics.

2008-2009 PAPS Delegates

New Members 2008

Membership Directory