John T. Harrington, MD, dean emeritus of Boston-based Tufts University School of Medicine and leading kidney specialist, died Oct. 31 at the age of 80, TuftsNow reports.
Here are four things to know about Dr. Harrington.
1. Dr. Harrington served as dean of the medical school from 1995 until 2002.
2. He received his undergraduate degree from Notre Dame, Ind.-based Holy Cross College and received his medical degree from New Haven, Conn.-based Yale School of Medicine.
3. During his tenure as dean, he successfully strengthened the medical school's financial resources and expanded its research base, the report states. Dr. Harrington also oversaw the construction of the Jaharis Family Center for Biomedical and Nutrition Sciences, one of the first research centers built at the medical school.
4. In recognition of Dr. Harrington's contributions to the school, Tufts created the Dr. John T. Harrington Endowed Fund in 2006. The fund supports physicians specializing and aspiring to specialize in nephrology.
"John was a deeply admired teacher and mentor," Harris A. Berman, dean of Tufts University School of Medicine, said in an email to the campus community obtained by TuftsNow. "His work as an acid-base physiologist, author, physician, and teacher touched many lives, from the patients he treated and colleagues he worked alongside, to the many physicians he taught during his career at Tufts. John's enthusiasm, dedication and love for teaching were evident with every student he encountered."