Peter Elsbach (9 November 1924 – 10 May 2020) was a Dutch physician. He was professor of medicine at the
New York University School of Medicine
NYU Grossman School of Medicine is a medical school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1841 and is one of two medical schools of the university, with the other being the Long Island School of ...
. He specialized in biochemistry, infectious diseases and natural anti-bacterial host defense.
Life
Elsbach was born on 9 November 1924 in
Zeist
Zeist () is the capital and largest town of the municipality of Zeist. The town is located in the Utrecht province of the Netherlands, east of the city of Utrecht.
History
The town of "Seist" was first mentioned in a charter in the year 83 ...
. He spent his youth in the
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
and during World War II was made prisoner by the Japanese. In 1950 he obtained a degree in medicine from the
University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...
. The next three years he was an intern at the local hospital. In 1953 he moved to the United States where he started residency training at the New York University School of Medicine. From 1956 to 1959 he did clinical fellowships at
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private biomedical research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and provides doctoral and postdoctoral education. It is classif ...
. After returning to the New York University School of Medicine in 1959, he obtained his PhD in Medical Sciences from
Leiden University
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...
in 1964 with his dissertation ''Uptake of Lipid by Phagocytic Cells. An Examination of the Role of Phagocytosis''. Elsbach worked for the New York University School of Medicine for more than 40 years.
Elsbach was elected a corresponding member of the
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...
in 1979. He received an honorary degree from
Lund University
, motto = Ad utrumque
, mottoeng = Prepared for both
, established =
, type = Public research university
, budget = SEK 9 billion American Society for Clinical Investigation.
Elsbach died on 10 May 2020 at the age of 95.