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 It is rare for a clinician to be described
as someone who came “as close as any
of us will see to the Renaissance ideal.”
Yet this is the praise earned by John
“Jack” Reeves, MD, who died last
September in a motor vehicle-bicycle
accident in Colorado where he earned a
reputation as a preeminent clinician and
scholar.
The description of Dr Reeves came
in a tribute to him from Richard Krugman, MD, Dean of
the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado
Health Sciences Center, Denver. Dr Reeves made exceptional
contributions in teaching, mentoring, research,
administration, and leadership to the Colorado Center for
Altitude Medicine and Physiology. “He was a scientist of
international stature. He made major advances at the
molecular, cellular, animal, and human level with regard
to the pulmonary circulation and adaptation to high altitude,”
added Dr. Krugman.
For many years Dr Reeves was a senior member of the
Cardiovascular Pulmonary Laboratory of the School of
Medicine within the Department of Medicine and most
recently played a significant role in the establishment of
the Colorado Center for Altitude Medicine and Physiology
in the Department of Surgery. In recent years Dr Reeves
was an integral part of the pulmonary vascular biology
group in the Department of Pediatrics and, according to
Dr Krugman, was “a friend, counselor, mentor, scientific
advisor and inspiration to a generation of pediatric pulmonologists,
critical care physicians, cardiologists, neonatologists,
and their colleague PhD investigators.”
Returning to the theme of Dr Reeves as the embodiment
of the Renaissance ideal, Dr Krugman called him an
internationally renowned investigator, a deeply compassionate
physician, an athlete, an accomplished photographer,
and a literary scholar.” Pursuing a strong interest in
the formation and guidance of medical education groups, Dr Reeves served on the board of directors for the Hypoxia
Symposium and for the Pulmonary Circulation Foundation.
He also served as the Research Director of the former
Colorado Altitude Research Institute in 1992.
An accomplished researcher, Dr Reeve authored 11
books and nearly 400 papers or journal articles pertaining
to high altitude medicine, pulmonary circulation, pulmonary
hypertension, and pulmonary edema.
In another tribute, Benjamin Honigman, MD, Director
of the Colorado Center for Altitude Medicine and
Physiology, added: “Jack was a brilliant scientist and an
exceptional human being. He had the ability to explain
complex thoughts in simple terms and get to the heart of
an issue with candor, an unassuming manner, and a wonderful
sense of humor. He was the inspiration for the
development of the altitude center at CU-Health Sciences
Center and will be missed in so many ways.”
On a personal level, Dr Reeves was generous with his
time and talent in helping those in poor countries. He
sought out and supported students and young faculty,
especially in the former Soviet Union and Asia. He
received numerous teaching awards and was the recipient
of the Thomas Jefferson Award at the University of
Colorado along with countless personal expressions of
thanks and appreciation.
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