Medical Pioneer. A physician, Kolff is credited with inventing the kidney dialysis machine and contributed greatly in the development of the artificial heart. He was born in Leiden in the Netherlands and moved with his family to Hummelo, when his father a physician accepted a position as head of a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. He studied medicine at the University of Leiden and the University of Groningen and received his degree in 1938. It was during World War II, when he developed the first blood cleansing machine. Over time and with improvements it would evolve into the kidney dialysis machine, a familiar device used to treat hundreds-of-thousands of people worldwide. During the 1950s, Kolff emigrated to the United States and received his US citizenship. He worked at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and later served as Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah's Medical School. During his career, Kolff received numerous honors including the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research and was named to Life Magazine's List of 100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century. He died in suburban-Philadelphia at the age of 97.
Medical Pioneer. A physician, Kolff is credited with inventing the kidney dialysis machine and contributed greatly in the development of the artificial heart. He was born in Leiden in the Netherlands and moved with his family to Hummelo, when his father a physician accepted a position as head of a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. He studied medicine at the University of Leiden and the University of Groningen and received his degree in 1938. It was during World War II, when he developed the first blood cleansing machine. Over time and with improvements it would evolve into the kidney dialysis machine, a familiar device used to treat hundreds-of-thousands of people worldwide. During the 1950s, Kolff emigrated to the United States and received his US citizenship. He worked at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and later served as Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah's Medical School. During his career, Kolff received numerous honors including the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research and was named to Life Magazine's List of 100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century. He died in suburban-Philadelphia at the age of 97.
Bio by: C.S.
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