Joseph E. Murray (MD, Nobel)

Joseph Edward Murray (MD), an American plastic surgeon, pioneered the field of transplantation by performing the first successful human kidney transplant on identical twins. His groundbreaking work in organ transplantation as a means of treating human diseases earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1990. As a high school student, Murray excelled in football, ice hockey and baseball. However, due to scheduling conflicts, he was compelled to choose between lab classes and sports. In light of his Nobel, he made the right decision. Following high school, he attended Harvard Medical School , where he earned his MD degree. During World War II, Murray applied his expertise as a plastic surgeon, tending to thousands of soldiers wounded on the battlefield, reconstructing their disfigured hands and faces. On December 23, 1954, Murray made history leading a team to perform the world's first successful kidney transplant, cementing his status as an international leader in the study of transplantation biology. As both a Catholic and scientist, Dr. Murray sees no conflict between God and science: "Is the Church inimical to science? Growing up as a Catholic and a scientist, I don't see it. ... The more we learn about creation, the way it emerged, it just adds to the glory of God. Personally, I've never seen a conflict."