John M. Opitz Collection

Overview

John M. Opitz, MD, Professor of  Pediatrics and a world authority in medical genetics, donated an amazing collection of original books and manuscripts to the library’s history of medicine collection.

Materials that were donated to Eccles Library by Dr. Opitz included:

  • A 1725 edition of “De humani corporis fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body), originally written and illustrated by Andreas Vesalius and one of the most influential books on human anatomy
  • An 1848 letter about barnacles written by Charles Darwin
  • An 1866 reprint of the first paper on Mendalian Genetics, written by Gregor Mendel, the founder of the science of genetics
  • A less-than-flattering report card that Mendel signed and issued to a student for the 1860-61 school year

Dozens of other books and documents will be donated, including a 1538 Latin translation of the collected works of Aristotle.

Career

Academic Information

Departments:
Pediatrics – Professor Emeritus, Human Genetics – Adjunct Professor, Obstetrics/Gynecology – Adjunct Professor

Divisions:
Pediatric Genetics, Reproductive Genetics Program

Board Certification

  • American Board of Medical Genetics (Clinical Genetics)
  • American Board of Pediatrics (Pediatrics)

Education

Fellowship University of Wisconsin
Medical Genetics
Fellow
Chief Resident University of Wisconsin
Pediatrics
Chief Resident
Residency University of Wisconsin
Pediatrics
Resident
Internship University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Pediatrics
Intern
Professional Medical University of Iowa
Medicine
M.D.
Undergraduate University of Iowa
Zoology
B.A.

From Dr. John M. Opitz Faculty Profile

Biography

From a unique start, born in Hamburg, Germany in 1935, followed by emigration to the United States in 1950, Dr. John Opitz has served as Professor of Pediatrics, in the Division of Medical Genetics, along with adjunct positions with the Departments of Pathology, Human Genetics, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Utah School of Medicine.

Dr. Opitz attended the University of Iowa (B.A. Zoology, 1956, MD 1959) greatly influenced by the mentorship of Emil Witschi in embryology, genetics and evolution, and by Hans Zellweger and Jacqueline Noonan in constitutional medicine. Following his turn as chief resident in Pediatrics in Madison, Dr. Opitz completed his fellowship in Medical Genetics (1962-1964, Klaus Patau, D.W. Smith) before his appointment to the faculty of the University of Wisconsin in Medical Genetics and Pediatrics (1964-1979). During that time he founded the Wisconsin Clinical Genetics Center, American Journal of Medical Genetics (AJMG), and became a founder of the American College and American Board of Medical Genetics. Dr. Opitz was also instrumental in recruiting Dr. Enid Gilbert (now Gilbert-Barness) to the University of Wisconsin as Professor of Pediatric Pathology and in founding the successful and productive program in fetal/pediatric genetic pathology and developmental pathology. Collaboration with the Department of Anatomy led to an anatomical genetics program strongly supporting the developmental field concept and revitalizing the concept of atavisms.

During his 18 years in Montana, Dr. Opitz succeeded in obtaining funding for the Montana Genetics Program (at Shodair Hospital in Helena) from the State Legislature, including cytogenetics and fetal genetic pathology programs. Collaboration with P.D. Pallister of Boulder, MT led (a.o.) to the discovery of the Pallister-Hall, KBG, W, and ulnar-mammary syndromes, the Pallister-Killian (i(12p)) syndrome, but most importantly of the first human X-autosome (the KOP) translocation which initiated the era of X-chromosome gene mapping.

After his move to Utah, joining the Division of Medical Genetics in Pediatrics, Dr. Opitz was glad to see Dr. John C. Carey succeed him as editor of the AJMG, to participate in the fetal genetic pathology program (Div. Pediatric Pathology at Primary Children’s Medical Center) and to teach the graduate course in Developmental Pathology and Developmental Genetics (Dept. of Human Genetics). Sixty professional years are resulting in a rich harvest of gene discoveries, here and elsewhere. Dr. Opitz’ students have been medical vice-presidents, deans, chairpersons and faculty members in pediatric genetics at several universities here and abroad. He is a member of the German Academy of Science (Leopoldina) and a foreign corresponding member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. He has received honorary doctorates from Kiel, Copenhagen, Bologna, and in the U.S. from MSU (Bozeman) and OSU (Columbus). Dr. Opitz is the 2011 William Allan Award winner of the American Society of Human Genetics.

From Dr. John M. Opitz Faculty Profile

Catalog


(25 of 49 query results found)
[#] Thumbnail Image Title Date Setname Type
1 2008-2010 General Catalog 2010 Electronic University Archive Text
2 An exploration of planar lipid bilayer properties contributing to lipid flip-flop using sum-frequency spectroscopy 2018 Theses & Dissertations Text
3 Assay and characterization of a mitogenically active guinea pig lymphokine 1977-08 Theses & Dissertations (Restricted) Text
4 Financial ramifactions of gene patenting 2010 Theses & Dissertations (Restricted) Text
5 Genetic mapping and molecular characterization of genes involved in birth defects of the limbs 1999 Theses & Dissertations Text
6 Health Sciences Report (1997) 1997 Public Affairs of Health Sciences Center Text
7 Health Sciences Report (1998) 1998 Public Affairs of Health Sciences Center Text
8 Health Sciences Report (2000) 2000 Public Affairs of Health Sciences Center Text
9 Health Sciences Report (2001) 2001 Public Affairs of Health Sciences Center Text
10 Influence of negative pressure would therapy and surface topography on soft-tissue responses around percutaneous devices 2019 Theses & Dissertations Text
11 John M. Opitz, M.D. Oral History 2016 Eccles Health Sciences Library Oral Histories Text
12 Modeling and parameter estimations of an experimental probe for in vivo blood gases, pH, and electrolytes monitor. 1998-08 Theses & Dissertations (Restricted) Text
13 Molecular engineering of electrical conductivity of organic nanofiber materials 2017 Theses & Dissertations Text
14 NOTED MEDICAL GENETICIST, JOURNAL EDITOR, JOINS U FACULTY, PRIMARY CHILDREN'S CLINICAL STAFF 1997-03-11 Public Affairs of Health Sciences Center Text
15 Outer Retinal Tubulations in Boucher-Neuhäuser Syndrome 2024-03 NOVEL - NANOS Annual Meeting Text
16 Page 1009 [not set] Utah City Directories Collection [not set]
17 Page 1091 [not set] Utah City Directories Collection [not set]
18 Page 1326 [not set] Utah City Directories Collection [not set]
19 Page 1362 [not set] Utah City Directories Collection [not set]
20 Page 137 [not set] School of Medicine Yearbooks [not set]
21 Page 1373 [not set] Utah City Directories Collection [not set]
22 Page 1400 [not set] Utah City Directories Collection [not set]
23 Page 1444 [not set] Utah City Directories Collection [not set]
24 Page 1458 [not set] Utah City Directories Collection [not set]
25 Page 1488 [not set] Utah City Directories Collection [not set]

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