Samuel kountz biography
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During Kountz’s senior year, he conducted a tour of the campus for Senator J. William Fulbright, who encouraged him in his goal of becoming a physician. Kountz also helped build a device to aid kidney transplants. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2000.
Jonathan J. Wolfe
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Last updated:
October 30, 2024
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Samuel L.
Kountz Biography (1930-1981)
- Nationality
- American
- Gender
- Male
- Occupation
- surgeon
One of the pioneering kidney transplant specialists in the country, Samuel Kountz was born on October 30, 1930 in Lexa, Arkansas. He married Grace Atkin, a teacher, on June 9, 1958, one day after his graduation from medical school.
He is buried near his home in Great Neck, New York.
Dr. Kountz wrote seventy-six professional papers and other scholarly articles. On the east coast, Kountz continued his surgical and advocacy work. He received surgical training at Stanford Medical Center and later became a faculty member at Stanford.
In 1967, Kountz joined the UCSF faculty and became head of the Kidney Transplant Service.
He told friends that he wanted to improve healthcare for the black community there. This single achievement guaranteed his status as a pioneer in surgery. Under Kountz’s leadership, the Kidney Transplant Service at UCSF became one of the most respected programs in the world.
Kountz worked to increase diversity on campus through minority student recruitment and advocated for better care regardless of class or race.
W. Fulbright, he won a scholarship to the University of Arkansas MedicalSchool, becoming the first African-American to study there. It was here that Kountz made the breakthrough observation that high doses of a steroid hormone, methylprednisolone, arrested the rejection of transplanted kidneys. Samuel Kountz, 51, Dies; Leader in Transplant Surgery.” New York Times, December 24, 1981.
Throughout his career, he performed more than 500 kidney transplants. Its outcome, permanent brain damage, disabled him both physically and mentally. They had three children. In February 1978, he was transferred to the Burke Rehabilitation Center in White Plains, New York. He passed away in 1981, leaving a legacy that still impacts the field today.
To learn more about Dr.
Kountz and his work, check out these articles available in our digital collection on HathiTrust:
Samuel Lee Kountz (1930–1981)
Samuel Lee Kountz was a physician and pioneer in organ transplantation, particularly renal transplant research and surgery. He was the eldest of three sons.