Ed Garrity, MD, Professor of Medicine, has been awarded the 2020 Biological Sciences Division (BSD) Gold Key Award in recognition of his 15 years of service and outstanding contributions to the clinical, research and educational missions of the University of Chicago, the BSD, the Department of Medicine and the Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care.
Dr. Garrity is an accomplished academician, clinician and educator. He completed his MD and residency training at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine and graduated from our Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellowship program in 1982. He continued his research fellowship training at Hines VA Hospital. He received his MBA from Benedictine University with a concentration in Health Care Administration. For nearly 20 years, Dr. Garrity has served as the Director of the Lung Transplant Program at Loyola University. In 2005, he joined the faculty in the Department of Medicine to lead the Lung Transplant Program for UCM. During his tenure, he built a highly respected program that has provided pre and post-transplant care for lung and heart-lung transplant patients and led UCM’s success as one of the largest programs in Illinois.
Dr. Garrity is a leading authority in the field of lung transplantation and advanced lung disease. He is recognized by his colleagues in the Departments of Medicine and Surgery for his compassionate patient care, his expertise in lung transplant and the management of complex patients. He is an exceptional team leader, mentor and an outstanding representative for transplantation at UCM. Physicians from around the Midwest refer patients to Dr. Garrity. He is an incredibly dedicated physician and is consistently rated as a Top Doctor by Chicago magazine and Castle Connelly, LTD.
A pioneer in lung transplantation and a respected researcher, Dr. Garrity has published more than 120 articles and book chapters on pulmonary-related topics, including lung transplantation, that have helped guide treatment throughout the country. Prior research interests include chest wall mechanics and respiratory muscle function. He also oversees clinical trials testing the effect of experimental drugs in preventing infection and rejection in lung transplant patients.
On the national level, Dr. Garrity is an accomplished policy leader. He has been extremely involved in coordinating national efforts and policy with regard to lung transplantation as a local and national participant in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) where he has chaired or participated on multiple advisory committees. His involvement ignited policy development in transplantation in particular, and health care in general. He currently serves on the Medical Advisory Committee for the Regional Organ Bank of Illinois/Gift of Hope.
For his clinical excellence relating to lung transplantation and his compassionate care towards patients with advanced lung disease, Dr. Garrity was recognized with BSD’s Distinguished Physician Award and was selected as a Senior Faculty in the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence in 2017.
The Gold Key Award recognizes outstanding and loyal service to the Division of the Biological Sciences and to the University of Chicago. This award is traditionally presented to divisional faculty members who are at or near retirement or are transitioning to emeritus status. BSD faculty members do not have to be an alumnus to be eligible for the Gold Key Award. Other 2020 Gold Key awardees are Thomas Cutter,MD and Raphael Lee,MD