Dr. G. Thomas Shires
Dr. G. Tom Shires, a pioneering surgical leader who helped establish one of the nation's largest burn centers, passed away October 18, 2007, at the age of 81.
Dr. Shires served as the dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and provost for medical affairs at Cornell University from 1987 to 1991. He also served as the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery at Cornell University Medical College (now Weill Cornell Medical College) and surgeon-in-chief at The New York Hospital (now NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center).
"We are deeply saddened at the passing of our good friend and colleague, Dr. Tom Shires," said Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., dean of the Medical College. "He was a brilliant physician and researcher whose extraordinary contributions to medicine and education will stand as a timeless legacy to his distinguished career."
In 1976, Dr. Shires helped establish Weill Cornell's William Randolph Hearst Burn Center, the first full-service burn center in the New York area and now one of the nation's largest. The center has treated more than 30,000 patients, including several victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
It was Dr. Shires' research into cellular physiology of shock that led to the recognition that trauma and surgical patients needed to be given intravenous salt-water solution, a practice that is still followed today. He also played a key role in organizing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in New York City and launching the state's first helicopter ambulance service.
During his illustrious career, Dr. Shires led various professional organizations, including the International Surgical Society, American Board of Surgery, American College of Surgeons and the American Surgical Association. He trained more than 200 surgeons, and a number became chief surgeons or chairmen of surgery departments.
Dr. Shires' place in history was cemented in 1963 when he performed successful emergency surgery on former Texas governor John Connally, who was also shot and seriously injured during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Photography by Richard Nadel.