10 August 2022
It is with a heavy heart that we write this letter. In recent weeks, two exceptional personalities and important pillars of our Collegium community have passed: Dr. Lawrence (Larry) M. Lichtenstein and Dr. John Bienenstock. We know that many of our members called these men their colleagues and most importantly, their friends. Dr. Lichtenstein served as the CIA President from 1994-1998 and Dr. Bienenstock immediately after from 1998-2002. Both were heavily involved in the Collegium, each attending our biennial meetings regularly for 30+ years
Dr. John Bienenstock
1936 – 2022
Considered one of the fathers of mucosal immunology, Dr. Bienenstock launched his impressive scientific career in Canada at McMaster University in 1968 and remained there until his retirement in 1998.
After retirement, he remained active in his research and as director of the McMaster Brain Body Institute
at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton until his death.
Dr. Bienenstock's list of pioneering achievements is both extensive and impressive. He published more than 500 peer- reviewed articles and authored, edited or co-edited 10 books including a standard textbook on mucosal immunology and allergy. Most importantly, he was a mentor and friend to many graduate students and fellow researchers, supervising more than 60 post-doctoral fellows and 10 doctoral students.
He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1992; a McMaster Distinguished University Professor in 1999; a member of the Order of Canada in 2002 and was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2011. He became a member of the Faculty of Health Sciences Community of Distinction in 2014. He also received an honorary MD from Goteborg, Sweden.
Tribute from McMaster University.
Dr. Lawrence Mark Lichtenstein
1934 - 2022
Dr. Lichtenstein was a world-renowned immunologist at Johns Hopkins University for more than 40 years and did pioneering work leading to a better understanding of asthma and allergies to ragweed and bee venom.
Through Hopkins' Division of Clinical Immunology and later its Asthma and Immunology Center, more than 150 doctors from 30 countries have received clinical and research training from a group led by Dr. Lichtenstein and Dr. Phil Norman. His role as a mentor was one of the great joys of his life. Over the years, Dr. Lichtenstein published more than 700 scholarly works, garnering more than 42,000 citations.
Dr. Lichtenstein was particularly proud when the Italian government in 1998 awarded him the Cavaliere di Gran Croce in recognition of training so many young Italian doctors in collaboration with Dr. Gianni Marone. It is the highest recognition given by the Italian government, and one rarely bestowed on foreigners.
The Collegium will play special tribute to both of these outstanding individuals during the next in-person CIA Symposium in Montreal in 2023.
Sincerely,
Thomas Bieber
CIA President
Donata Vercelli
CIA Vice President/Past Secretary General
Bruce Bocher
CIA Past President
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