Paul Schloerb, MD

Paul Richard Schloerb, MD passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on 12/29/2018. Dr. Schloerb was born on October 22, 1919 in Buffalo, New York, the son of Herman G. and Vera M. Schloerb. He attended public schools, graduating from Kenmore High School in 1937. After graduation from Harvard College with AB in 1941, he received an MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1944. He served in the US Naval Reserve as Lt(jg) (MC) USNR. In this capacity, in WWII he served in the pacific theater as Port Surgeon on Saipan and Guam in the Marianas Islands. After WWII he returned to Rochester where he had a research fellowship under Dean George Whipple. He then embarked upon an AEC/NRC research fellowship at the Massachusetts General and Peter Bent Brigham hospital in Boston under the mentorship of Francis D Moore MD at Peter Bent Brigham hospital where he completed a surgical residency. During his fellowship he measured Total Body Water for the first time in a group of normal men and women, using deuterium oxide (heavy water), Journal of clinical Investigation (29:1296-1310,1950)

Following completion of his surgery and research training at Peter Bent Brigham hospital and marriage on 2/25/50 to Louise M. Grimmer, he returned to Rochester as Instructor in Surgery with additional responsibilities in research on flash burns from atomic weapons. Joining the staff of the University of Kansas Medical Center in 1952, he embarked on a research career which was interrupted about one year later with an assignment on an aircraft carrier, the USS Boxer. Following discharge, he returned to Kansas where he pursued a career in surgery and surgery research on kidney failure, shock, fluid-electrolyte abnormalities, organ transplantation, cancer and nutrition.

In 1979, he returned to Rochester, NY as Director of Surgical Intensive Care Unit in Strong Memorial Hospital, continued his laboratory and clinical research, and had a busy surgical practice which included all operations for venous access and for morbid obesity.

In 1988, He and Louise returned to Kansas. In his career, he had 88 research fellows, including 15 surgical resident fellows and many medical students, some of who enjoy academic research careers. He had 36 years of continuous NIH-funded research support and over 110 publications by himself and fellows, with presentations at national and international meetings. Serving as director of Nutritional Support Service, he further refined an electronic parenteral and enteral nutrition website http://epen.kumc.edu which has had as many as 51,000 “hits” per year. He is a member of the surgical and medical societies, including the American Surgical Association, American College of Surgeons, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, American Medical Association, Society of University Surgeons, American Physiological Society and others. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He finished at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2007 as Professor of Surgery Emeritus

He is survived by his wife Louise, his children Ronald G. Schloerb of Cape Cod, MA, Patricia Johnson (Jim) of Overland Park, KS, Marilyn Hock (Michael) of Jeffersonville, IN., Dorothy Hoban of Mineola, NY and Paul Richard Schloerb Jr (Susan) of Des Moines, IA as well as 11 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren

In Lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the University of Kansas Endowment Association, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 for the Paul R. Schloerb memorial lectureship fund or St. Andrews Episcopal church, 6401 Wornall Terrace, Kansas City, MO, 64113.

Visitation will be from 2-3:00pm Friday January 4, 2019 followed by a memorial service at 3:00pm at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 6401 Wornall Terrace, Kansas City, Mo 64113.