I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 304 

To award a congressional gold medal to Joseph Barnett Kirsner, M.D., 

Ph.D., in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the Nation. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 8, 2009 

Mr. KIRK (for himself and Mr. CAPUANO) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To award a congressional gold medal to Joseph Barnett 

Kirsner, M.D., Ph.D., in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the Nation. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 The Congress finds as follows: 

5 (1) Dr. Joseph B. Kirsner was born in Boston 

6 in 1909 to poor Ukrainian immigrants. 

7 (2) Dr. Kirsner earned his medical degree from 

8 Tufts University, graduating near the top of his 

9 class, in 1933. 


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1 (3) In 1935, Dr. Kirsner joined the staff of the 

2 first academic gastroenterology unit in the United 

3 States at the University of Chicago. 

4 (4) Dr. Kirsner earned his Ph.D. in gastro5 enterology from the University of Chicago in 1942. 

6 (5) Dr. Kirsner conducted invaluable research 

7 on peptic ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis 

8 and Crohn’s disease, making numerous break9 throughs in the field on patient management and 

10 cancer risk. 

11 (6) In more than 60 years of teaching, Dr. 

12 Kirsner trained more than 200 of the field’s leading 

13 specialists, including more than 41 full professors 

14 and 14 department chairs. 

15 (7) Dr. Kirsner authored nearly 700 publica16 tions and 15 textbooks which are the leading teach17 ing materials on gastroenterology. 

18 (8) Dr. Kirsner helped found several profes19 sional societies, including the American Society for 

20 Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the American Asso21 ciation for the Study of Liver Diseases. 

22 (9) Dr. Kirsner was unrelenting in raising 

23 funds for gastrointestinal programs around the 

24 country, leading to creation of the General Medicine 


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1 Study Section of the National Institutes of Arthritis, 

2 Metabolic, and Digestive Diseases. 

3 (10) In 1962, a group of Dr. Kirsner’s patients 

4 established the Gastro-Intestinal Research Founda5 tion, which provided immense support for research 

6 at the University of Chicago. 

7 (11) In 1984, the Gastro-Intestinal Research 

8 Foundation raised more than $2,000,000 to con9 struct the 17,000 square-foot Joseph B. Kirsner 

10 Center for the Study of Digestive Diseases. 

11 (12) Dr. Kirsner received every major award 

12 the field of gastroenterology has to offer, except the 

13 one he was not eligible to win: American Digestive 

14 Health Foundation’s top prize for excellence in clin15 ical research, the Joseph B. Kirsner Award. 

16 (13) Aside from his military service in World 

17 War II, Dr. Kirsner has practiced medicine, con18 ducted research, and educated young doctors for 

19 more than 70 years straight. 

20 (14) To this day, Dr. Kirsner remains active in 

21 medicine, still seeing the patients he cares so much 

22 for. 

23 (15) The Congress has awarded similar medals 

24 to other doctors for their outstanding contributions 

25 to the medical field, including Major Walter Reed 


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1 and his associates in 1928, Dr. Thomas Anthony 

2 Dooley III in 1961, Dr. Jonas E. Salk in 1977, and 

3 Dr. Ellis DeBakey in 2007. 

4 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

5 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 

6 the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tem7 pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 

8 for the presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold 

9 medal of appropriate design, to Joseph Barnett Kirsner, 

10 M.D., Ph.D., in recognition of his many outstanding con11 tributions to the Nation. 

12 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 

13 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 

14 of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec15 retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 

16 devices, and inscriptions to be determined by the Sec17 retary. 

18 SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

19 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

20 bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 

21 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at 

22 a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 

23 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, 

24 and the cost of the gold medal. 


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1 SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

2 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—The medals struck pursu3 ant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 

4 51 of title 31, United States Code. 

5 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 

6 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 

7 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 

8 items. 

9 SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 

10 SALE. 

11 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 

12 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

13 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec14 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck pursuant 

15 to this Act. 

16 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 

17 sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 

18 3 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 

19 Enterprise Fund. 

Æ 


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