In Memoriam – John Mannick, MD

Dr. Mannick served as Moseley Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School between 1976-1994. He was a national and international leader in vascular surgery, surgical research and a dedicated educator who provided seminal contributions in transplantation immunology and in understanding the role of the intrinsic immune system in burns and other forms of acute injury.

Dr. Mannick contributed many successful techniques to the practice of vascular surgery. This includes vein grafts to reconstruct the tibial and peroneal arteries, the reduction of mortality from abdominal aortic aneurysm repair from more than five percent to less than two percent through the use of volume loading and minimal dissection of the aorta and iliac arteries. In addition, the use of axillo-femoral and femoro-femoral grafts to correct aortoiliac occlusive disease in certain high risk patients, and the demonstration that autogenous tissue reconstruction techniques can be applied with very high rates of long term success in over ninety percent of patients with limb-threatening femoropopliteal and infrapopliteal occlusive disease.

Also a skilled administrator, Dr. Mannick made a major contribution to the growth of the Department of Surgery at the Brigham and the services it could offer during the planning and formation of the new Brigham and Women’s Hospital which opened in 1980.

Click here to view Dr. Mannick’s obituary.