Richard Kempson, MD, emeritus prof of pathology and co-founder of the Stanford Medicine Surgical Pathology department, died Aug. 19 successful Kailua, Hawaii. He was 92.
Kempson was remembered arsenic an inspired person and teacher, arsenic good arsenic a beloved person and mentor to hundreds of surgical pathology trainees. He was known for his distinctive and effectual teaching style, which emphasized precise diagnostic criteria and the interaction of close diagnoses connected diligent care. Although his specialty was successful gynecologic cancer, bosom crab and brushed insubstantial tumors, helium was an adept successful each facets of surgical pathology.
“Richard Kempson was instrumental successful establishing an internationally recognized residency and surgical fellowship programme astatine Stanford Medicine that trained astir 300 pathologists successful the creation of diagnostic surgical pathology,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine. “He was world-renowned successful his field, and an extraordinarily kind, thoughtful and supportive mentor. He leaves a lasting legacy.”
Teri Longacre, MD, the Richard L. Kempson Professor successful Surgical Pathology, said Kempson was “legendary, not conscionable astatine Stanford, but worldwide. He was 1 of the large thought leaders successful surgical pathology arsenic we signifier it today, and highly good respected.”
Kempson was calved June 16, 1930, successful Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Tulane University arsenic an undergraduate and received his aesculapian grade from the aforesaid assemblage successful 1955. He completed his residency successful anatomic and objective pathology astatine Tulane and a fellowship successful surgical pathology astatine Washington University successful St. Louis, aft which helium became an instructor, past an adjunct prof successful pathology and surgical pathology astatine the school.
Founding the surgical pathology division
Kempson and his longtime colleague, Ronald Dorfman, MD, were recruited to Stanford University unneurotic successful 1968 from Washington University successful St. Louis to establish a caller part of surgical pathology, which relies connected specially trained pathologists to diagnose illness done the macroscopic and microscopic introspection of tissues removed from patients. Together they built a programme that rapidly gained planetary recognition. Dorfman died successful 2012, but the interaction of their concern remains.
“There was thing astir magical astir the Stanford Pathology section astatine that time,” pathologist Mahendra Ranchod, MD, past a visiting module member, recalled successful Dorfman’s obituary. “Ron Dorfman and Dick Kempson established a large section with precise precocious standards, and unneurotic the two, by their actions, imbued the spot with a culture: We’ll each bash our best, we’ll enactment unneurotic and we’ll bash the champion we tin for our patients.”
Kempson was a ample antheral with an imposing mode that could sometimes beryllium intimidating. But his trainees, galore of whom became his colleagues, retrieve him arsenic a thoughtful and supportive leader.
“He took a precise keen involvement successful the program’s residents and fellows, and helium worked hard to marque surgical pathology a much azygous and recognized subspeciality of pathology,” said Gerald Berry, MD, a prof of pathology who was a trainee successful the programme successful the 1980s. “He shared his proposal freely and openly, and I learned an bonzer magnitude from him. He was besides a terrific lecturer who was invited to talk each implicit the world.”
Kempson’s lasting successful surgical pathology is echoed successful his enactment successful nationalist and planetary organizations. He served arsenic president of the Association of Directors of Surgical Pathology, of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, and of the California Society of Pathologists. He was connected the editorial committee of the American Journal of Surgical Pathology and Histopathology. In 1999 helium was recognized with the Teaching Award by the California Society of Pathologists and successful 2003 with the Distinguished Pathologist’s Award by the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology.
Helping aft retirement
Kempson remained intimately tied to Stanford Medicine, contempt his galore enactment obligations and adjacent arsenic an emeritus professor. “Until his determination to Hawaii helium continued to be meetings and enactment successful the department,” Longacre said. “If a pathologist had a hard case, oregon they were disquieted astir a patient, they would spell up to his country bureau and get his opinion.”
Outside of the lab, Kempson loved to question and enjoyed literature, opera, and good nutrient and wine. He kept an extended vino cellar and held an yearly vino tasting lawsuit for fellows successful the program. He was an avid pupil of history, rapidly devouring past books and media. In 2018, helium and his wife, Vivian, moved to Hawaii, but helium remained successful interaction with his Stanford Medicine colleagues.
Kempson’s son, Greg Kempson, said his father’s existent emotion was moving alongside the radical helium mentored and his colleagues, galore of whom became adjacent friends. He often went into enactment implicit weekends truthful that patients “would not person to endure waiting good into the pursuing week for their diagnosis,” and helium impressed connected his colleagues that “at the extremity of each solid descent determination is simply a patient,” Greg Kempson said.
Besides his son, Kempson is survived by his wife, Vivian.
English (US)