James Ward West (March 29, 1914 – July 24, 2012) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

, psychiatrist, surgeon, and pioneer in the fields of

organ transplantation Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organs may be transpor ...

and

addiction treatment Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general inte ...

. He was part of a team of surgeons who performed the world's first kidney transplant in 1950. West practiced as a surgeon from 1948 to 1981. He then focused on

psychiatry Psychiatry is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psych ...

during his later career. He co-founded the Betty Ford Center in

Rancho Mirage, California Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. Incorporated in 1973 and locate ...

, in 1982. West served as the founding medical director of the Betty Ford Center from 1982 until 1989.

Background and education

West was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, on March 29, 1914. He was the oldest of his parents' four children. West attending a Wisconsin boarding school run by the Jesuits, where he decided to become a doctor as a high school sophomore. West graduated from the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago. Another student as Loyola Chicago first gave him

amphetamines Substituted amphetamines are a class of compounds based upon the amphetamine structure; it includes all derivative compounds which are formed by replacing, or substituting, one or more hydrogen atoms in the amphetamine core structure with sub ...

and he became an alcoholic as an undergraduate student.

Career

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 Evergreen Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. In 2020, the population was 19,943. History As early as 1828, a German farming family had settled in the area of what is now Evergreen Park. In the succeeding decades, other Ge ...

. The surgery was performed on a 44-year-old female patient who suffered from

polycystic kidney disease Polycystic kidney disease (PKD or PCKD, also known as polycystic kidney syndrome) is a genetic disorder in which the renal tubules become structurally abnormal, resulting in the development and growth of multiple cysts within the kidney. These c ...

. He practiced surgery from 1942 until 1981. A recovering

alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

, West successfully remained sober for 54 years, from the late 1950s until his death in 2012. West carried a sobriety chip in his pocket everyday during all of those years. He gave up surgery after forty years to specialize and study

, specifically focusing on substance abuse and related issues. He taught at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, now called the

Rush University Medical Center Rush University Medical Center (Rush) is an academic medical center in the Illinois Medical District neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship hospital for the Rush University System for Health, which includes Rush Oak Park Hospital a ...

, as an assistant professor. He also taught psychiatry at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

. West also founded Haymarket Center, a detox center located in Chicago, in 1975. West joined with former First Lady of the United States

Betty Ford Elizabeth Anne Ford (; formerly Warren; April 8, 1918 – July 8, 2011) was the first lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977, as the wife of President Gerald Ford. As first lady, she was active in social policy and set a precedent as a p ...

to help launch the Betty Ford Center. The facility opened on October 4, 1982. He served as the Center's first medical director from 1982 until 1989. West mandated that physicians served as full members of the center's treatment teams. In 1989, West became the director of the Betty Ford Center's

outpatient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health care ...

programs. He remained with the Betty Ford Center until 2007, when he retired at 93 years old. West also contributed a weekly column called "Sober Days" to

The Desert Sun ''The Desert Sun'' is a local daily newspaper serving Palm Springs and the surrounding Coachella Valley in Southern California. History ''The Desert Sun'' is owned by Gannett publications since 1988 and acquired the Indio ''Daily News'' in 1 ...

, addressing questions about

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

and alcohol abuse sent in by newspaper readers. His last column was published on July 26, 2012. His health began to decline in April 2012. James West died at his home in

Palm Desert, California Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has bee ...

, on July 24, 2012, at the age of 98. His memorial service was held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Palm Desert.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, James 1914 births 2012 deaths American surgeons American psychiatrists American columnists University of Chicago faculty Loyola University Chicago alumni People from Palm Desert, California Writers from Chicago Journalists from California