Morris Ziff (November 19, 1913 – August 22, 2005) was a physician, educator and researcher specializing in arthritic and rheumatic disorders, possibly best known for helping discover the rheumatoid factor. Ziff was born in Brooklyn, New York and educated at New York University, where he was lab partners with

Severo Ochoa Severo Ochoa de Albornoz (; 24 September 1905 – 1 November 1993) was a Spanish physician and biochemist, and winner of the 1959 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine together with Arthur Kornberg for their discovery of "the mechanisms in ...

, a Nobel Prize winner. He earned a doctorate in chemistry in addition to a medical degree. His work at

University of Texas Southwestern Medical School The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern or UTSW) is a public academic health science center in Dallas, Texas. With approximately 18,800 employees, more than 2,900 full-time faculty, and nearly 4 million outpatient vi ...

beginning in 1958 led to his establishment of the school's

rheumatology Rheumatology (Greek ''ῥεῦμα'', ''rheûma'', flowing current) is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatolog ...

unit, which would become one of the most renowned units in the United States. During his lifetime, Ziff was awarded the Heberden Medal, the Carol Nachman Prize in Rheumatology, and the Distinguished Service Award from the

Arthritis Foundation The Arthritis Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to addressing the needs of people living with arthritis in the United States. There are more than 50 million adults and 300,000 children living with arthritis, the nation's ...

. He was one of the first holders of an Arthritis Foundation Fellowship, awarded the First Gold Medal of the American College of Rheumatology, the Heberden Medal, and the Carol Nachman Prize in Rheumatology. In 1981, he was named an

Ashbel Smith Ashbel Smith (August 13, 1805 – January 21, 1886) was a pioneer physician, diplomat, slave owner, and official of the Republic of Texas, Confederate officer and first President of the Board of Regents of the University of Texas. Smith was an a ...

professor, and retired as Chairman of Rheumatology, but continued to privately research and practice until 1999. At the time of his death by cardiac arrest, he was professor emeritus and held the Morris Ziff Professorship in Rheumatology.

References

1913 births 2005 deaths New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science alumni University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center faculty {{US-med-bio-stub