Abe Guz

NHLI Emeritus Professor Abraham (Abe) Guz has died at the age of 84.

Members of the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London have been saddened to hear of the death last weekend of Emeritus Professor Abe Guz. Professor Guz, who was aged 84, was Professor of Medicine at the Charing Cross Hospital Medical School between the years 1973 and 1982 and subsequently became Professor and Head of the Department of Medicine of the joint Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, University of London until September 1994. He was made a Fellow of the Imperial College School of Medicine in May 2000 and was commonly seen in College on the Charing Cross Campus until recent years.

Professor Guz trained in London, Boston and San Francisco and was of the old school of Respiratory Physicians whose scientific grounding was in respiratory physiology. He had a lifelong interest in the control of breathing, an area in which he was an international leader.

Many recall Professor Guz as a man who both inspired all of those around him but also scared many! Mrs Catherine Cummings, his secretary for decades says that “he inspired enormous loyalty and affection from the people who worked for him and he considered it a priority to educate the next generation, to encourage them in their careers and would never hesitate to provide support, both emotional and professional”.

Current Imperial Academics echo these views. Professor Sue Smith who is Professor in Medical Education and Deputy Head (Teaching) at the National Heart and Lung Institute undertook her PhD in Professor Guz’s department and recalls, “he took a close interest in the work of everyone in the department and was generous with his time and his ideas. He was remarkably good at growing people and always introduced juniors to senior visitors and guests, although he often forget your name mid-introduction, as his mind had already moved back to the science! Life with Abe around was exciting, unpredictable, occasionally downright scary, but always stimulating and academically rigorous.  If you had fallen short intellectually, you would soon learn of your error, but equally, if you needed help or advice, it would always be forthcoming.  I will always remember Prof Guz with gratitude and huge affection. He was one of a kind and I feel privileged to have been part of his department.”

Professor Mary Morrell, Imperial's Professor of Sleep and Respiratory Physiology says that Professor Guz will always be in her memories and in her science. “Abe changed my life, giving me so many opportunities; he always believed in our greatness (and the data), encouraging us to be the best we could be - he was the most open-minded scientist I have ever had the pleasure of working with”. His impact was similarly felt by Professor Terry Tetley, Professor of Lung Cell Biology, who recalls how he enriched the lives of all who came into contact with him – “I often think of him and treasure the memories of those Charing Cross days” she said. Those in parallel fields feel likewise and Peter Ellaway, Emeritus Professor of Physiology, the Centre for Clinical Neuroscience, recalls hugely enjoying Abe’s company and the great regard which he had for him. “He gave me unstinting support at Charing Cross”.

Of course these are just the views of those currently at Imperial and many scientists elsewhere in the world will equally share these memories.