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ACHIEL L. BLEYAERTJUNE 23, 1931–OCT. 30, 2011JAMES SHAVERJAN. 21, 1935–APRIL 13, 2012GERHARD WERNERSEPT. 28, 1921–MARCH 26, 2012BleyaertIn the 1970s, AchielBleyaert investigatedbrain function andischemia after resuscitationat the InternationalResuscitation ResearchInstitute, now the SafarCenter for ResuscitationResearch in the University ofPittsburgh School of Medicine. His animalstudies showed that barbiturates after cardiacarrest protected the brain, says Ake Grenvik,an early colleague of Bleyaert’s and physicianat UPMC from 1968 to 2009. Though thefindings could not be confirmed in repeatedstudies and the treatment was not as successfulin humans, says Grenvik, “It was a big step—an important step—in research toward brainimprovement after cardiac arrest and resuscitation.”Bleyaert’s initial inquiries sparkeddecades of research in this area, Grenvik adds,which eventually led to the current practice ofusing hypothermia to protect the brain fromdamage after cardiac arrest.Bleyaert, a Pitt professor of anesthesiologyand critical care medicine from 1980 to1985, died in October at Clearfield Hospital,in Clearfield, Pa., where he had been a staffanesthesiologist since 1992. He was 80.Grenvik remembers Bleyaert as an intelligentman who was easy to get along with.Though quiet, he was a diligent worker anda positive mentor. “He was a good teacher inthe operating room for anesthesia residentsand medical students.” —Dennis Funk’40sHARRY S. HARTMANMD ’43ADEC. 8, 2011’50sPETER P. STAJDUHARMD ’52DEC. 3, 2011EDGAR S. HENRY JR.MD ’53APRIL 4, 201238 PITTMEDJames Shaver, directorof the Division ofCardiology in Pitt’sSchool of Medicine for morethan two decades and mentorto many, died in April.In the 1960s, ShaverShaveropened and directed the firstcardiac catheterization laboratory at what wasthen Presbyterian University Hospital. Hisclinical and research interests included valvularheart disease, adult congenital heart disease,hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and the physiologicbasis of heart sounds and murmurs. Buthe may be remembered best for his teaching.As a Pitt faculty member for more than 40years, Shaver trained hundreds of cardiologists.William Follansbee, who teaches in theDivision of Cardiology, says he will rememberShaver for his remarkable ability to teachmedical students and cardiology fellows. “Itwas probably his greatest strength,” Follansbeesays. “I think the fellows in general who havegone through the program over the last coupledecades all saw him as an important mentor.”For many years, Shaver designed and ranthe fundamental cardiovascular course forsecond-year students. “An extensive amountof work goes into the course,” says Follansbee.“The syllabus just for that course is two volumesthick.”A spirit of eternal optimism was part ofwhat helped Shaver shape the curriculum andguide students in their careers, Follansbeesays. He notes that in later life Shaver wouldn’tlet his own medical issues get him down, andthat he still went skiing and traveled to conferences.“He was dedicated and motivated untilthe very end,” he says. —DFIN MEMORIAMMARTIN ARISTARKMURCEKMD ’58MARCH 16, 2012’60sEDWIN DELROYSTUTZMAN JR.MD ’61APRIL 12, 2012ROBERT EMERSONCAVENMD ’64JAN. 15, 2012LOUIS D. METAMD ’67MARCH 15, 2012’70sALAN JOHNKUNSCHNERRES ’72MAY 2, 2012’80sJEFFREY S. GIBSONMD ’89APRIL 9, 2012’90sAMY C.MASZKIEWICZSOBIESKIMD ’97MARCH 4, 2012FACULTYANTHONY H.VAGNUCCIAPRIL 19, 2012PATRICK G. LAINGMARCH 28, 2012Gerhard Werner, an MDand former dean of Pitt’sSchool of Medicine, wasan avid reader: He devouredbooks of philosophy and literatureand encouraged his studentsto do the same. Werner’s inquisitivenesswas an essential part of him,Wernersays William de Groat, a former colleague.“Werner was excited about research and wasalways thinking of something new to do,” says deGroat, Distinguished Professor in the Departmentof Pharmacology and Chemical Biology. In the1960s, de Groat joined Pitt under Werner, thenthe department’s chair.An innovative neuroscientist, Werner publishedmore than 100 scientific papers and developeda muscle relaxant (succinylcholine), his firstmajor invention; it’s still used by anesthesiologiststoday. With a keen interest in computer science,Werner, while at Pitt, helped devise an early artificialintelligence-driven medical expert system.“He was visionary, but also urbane and cultured,”says de Groat, noting that Werner’s worldlinesswas particularly evident in the classroom.Hoping to enliven lectures, he often shared wittystories about his extensive travels. (He graduatedfrom the University of Vienna’s medical schooland worked in India and Brazil before emigratingto the United States in 1957.)In 1974, he was appointed dean of the medicalschool. Although he was a basic scientist, oneof his most lasting administrative contributionswas a practice plan system that would prove keyto turning the school’s financial situation aroundduring difficult times, Barbara I. Paull notes inA Century of Medical Excellence (1986).Werner was honored with the U.S. SeniorScientist award from the Alexander von HumboldtFoundation in 1985.After retiring from Pitt in1989, he became an adjunctprofessor of biomedical engineeringat the University ofTexas at Austin. There, he stayedactive in such research areas asartificial intelligence and neurodynamics.—Dana Yates