David Hershel Alpers is a

gastroenterologist Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- “belly”, -énteron “intestine”, and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, ...

, researcher, professor, and former president of the

American Gastroenterological Association The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is a medical association of gastroenterologists. Approximately 16,000 scientists and physicians are members of the organization. Overview The American Gastroenterological Association is a prof ...

(1990–1991).

Early life and education

David Hershel Alpers was born 9 May 1935 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania. He received his M.D. from

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

in 1960 and completed training in internal medicine at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the third oldest general hospital in the United Stat ...

(MGH). He studied molecular biology at the

National Institute of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late 1 ...

under Gordon Tomkins (1962–64) before returning to MGH for gastroenterology fellowship (1964–66) and junior faculty positions (1966–69).

Medical and teaching career

Dr. Alpers was Chief of the Gastroenterology Division at

Washington University School of Medicine Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) is the medical school of Washington University in St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1891, the School of Medicine has 1,260 students, 604 of which are pursuing a medical degree with or ...

from 1969 to 1997 and is currently the William B. Kountz Professor of Medicine and assistant director of the Center for Human Nutrition. Since moving to Washington University as division chief, he has been Professor of Medicine since 1973.

Research

Dr. Alpers is recognized for his research in intestinal protein biochemistry. His efforts are also responsible for much of our knowledge of

cobalamin Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin involved in metabolism. It is one of eight B vitamins. It is required by animals, which use it as a cofactor in DNA synthesis, in both fatty acid and amino acid metabolism. It ...

(vitamin B12) metabolism and absorption by the gastrointestinal tract. His longstanding interests in the psychiatric aspects of gastrointestinal disease helped formulate some of the current thinking about brain-gut interactions.

Associations and awards

Alpers served as the president of the

from 1990 and received the Friedenwald Medal from that association, the most prestigious recognition for a career of scientific contribution to the field. Alpers received a Guggenhem Fellowship in 1981. Alpers served as editor of the American Journal of Physiology (Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alpers, David Hershel 1935 births American gastroenterologists Harvard Medical School alumni Washington University School of Medicine faculty Living people Harvard College alumni