A beautiful tribute to Dr. Stephen Harrison by Maru/Mary Rinella at American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).
“Thank you very much…for giving me the honor of being able to say a few words about Stephen, who is a friend to many of us in this room. Stephen's academic accomplishments really stand for themselves. He really did more than most people could aspire in his medical career, and he had a very truncated life, unfortunately. As you all know, he was a natural leader. Early in his career, he applied this to serve his country in a distinguished career in the military. He did two tours in Iraq and reached the rank of colonel and, despite all this, still accomplished what he did.
For those who didn't know him, you certainly knew of him and it's certainly fitting to remember him in the late breaker session. I actually don't remember a late breaker session where he wasn't presenting. And everyone who was fortunate enough to know him actually felt like they were his friends, and I really think that they were. He really had a legendary work ethic, which I'm sure you all know.
He had boundless amounts of energy, and he would famously say, among many hilarious adages that if the birds were chirping, that he should be working. So passionately, he focused on providing really the best care for his patients, and he always kept that front of mind. I think that really fueled his drive to bring the first drug to market, and he was extremely excited and proud about this. And he finally achieved that on March 14th, only six weeks before he died.
So Stephen really had equal measure of kindness and optimism and actually many of you know that he really extended a hand to help anyone who might need it or benefit from it, which is that generosity that we don't always see. And among many skills, I think most relevant to those of you in this room, he would distill the learnings from each study, no matter how big or small, and what the outcome was, to sort of inform the design and conduct of future trials. So, he really was a true visionary. He brought together across industry and academics to advance the field, and most importantly, to improve the life of his patients.
So, I'd like to really thank him for his exceptional leadership. His energy and contagious optimism. And I really believe that the field and all of us who knew him are really less without him. So, thank you.”
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), Global NASH Council, EASL the home of Hepatology, 89bio, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Company, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Medscape Education, Pinnacle Clinical Research, Summit Clinical Research, Arizona Liver Health, Houston Liver Institute, Regeneron, Boston Scientific
