| James West | |
| Birth Name: | James Ward West |
| Birth Date: | 29 March 1914 |
| Birth Place: | Chicago, Illinois U.S. |
| Death Place: | Palm Desert, California, U.S. |
| Education: | Loyola University Chicago |
| Years Active: | 1942-1981 |
| Profession: | Surgeon |
| Work Institutions: | University of Chicago |
| Field: | Physician |
| Specialism: | Organ transplantation Addiction treatment |
James Ward West (March 29, 1914 – July 24, 2012) was an American physician, psychiatrist, surgeon, and pioneer in the fields of organ transplantation and addiction treatment.[1] [2] He was part of a team of surgeons who performed the world's first kidney transplant in 1950.[3] West practiced as a surgeon from 1948 to 1981.[1] He then focused on psychiatry during his later career.[1] [3] He co-founded the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, in 1982.[3] West served as the founding medical director of the Betty Ford Center from 1982 until 1989.[1] [3]
West was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 29, 1914.[1] He was the oldest of his parents' four children.[1] West attending a Wisconsin boarding school run by the Jesuits, where he decided to become a doctor as a high school sophomore.[1] West graduated from the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago.[3] Another student as Loyola Chicago first gave him amphetamines and he became an alcoholic as an undergraduate student.[1]
West was a member of the surgical team, led by Richard Lawler, who carried out the world's first kidney transplant in 1950 at the Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, Illinois.[1] [3] The surgery was performed on a 44-year-old female patient who suffered from polycystic kidney disease.[3] He practiced surgery from 1942 until 1981.[1]
A recovering alcoholic, West successfully remained sober for 54 years, from the late 1950s until his death in 2012.[3] West carried a sobriety chip in his pocket everyday during all of those years.[3] He gave up surgery after forty years to specialize and study psychiatry, specifically focusing on substance abuse and related issues.[3]
He taught at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, now called the Rush University Medical Center, as an assistant professor. He also taught psychiatry at the University of Chicago.[3] West also founded Haymarket Center, a detox center located in Chicago, in 1975.[3]
West joined with former First Lady of the United States Betty Ford to help launch the Betty Ford Center.[3] The facility opened on October 4, 1982.[1] He served as the Center's first medical director from 1982 until 1989.[3] West mandated that physicians served as full members of the center's treatment teams.[1]
In 1989, West became the director of the Betty Ford Center's outpatient programs.[3] He remained with the Betty Ford Center until 2007, when he retired at 93 years old.[3]
West also contributed a weekly column called "Sober Days" to The Desert Sun, addressing questions about alcoholism and alcohol abuse sent in by newspaper readers. His last column was published on July 26, 2012.[3]
His health began to decline in April 2012. James West died at his home in Palm Desert, California, on July 24, 2012, at the age of 98.[1] [3] His memorial service was held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Palm Desert.[3]