In Memoriam (2001)

R. Bernd Sterzel died on August 6, 2001 of cancer. He accomplished much in his professional and personal career. However, he was not yet finished with his work. Bernd Sterzel studied medicine in Berlin, Zürich, and Freiburg. After completing an internship in Freiburg, he began house officer training at the New York Medical College. Here, he was captivated by the influence of Karl Lange who conducted his department of internal medicine in the tradition common to American University hospitals of the time. The “chairman” was invariably a physician-scientist, usually also the best clinician in the place, and generally the most gifted teacher. The house-staff were always “hand picked,” worshipped the “boss,” and in addition to their clinical duties were commonly engaged in projects that, if they were very fortunate, might be presented at the yearly meeting in Atlantic City. And so it was with Bernd Sterzel, who became interested in transketolase activity in uremic patients as a cause for their neuropathy. His first two publications, which appeared in N Engl J Med and J Clin Invest, were real patient-oriented, clinical research.FigureBernd Sterzel returned to Germany as a well-trained internist and nephrologist. He was captivated by another visionary mentor in the person of Jan Brod, chief of nephrology at the University of Hannover. Jan Brod was also one of those towering, inspiring persons that a young physician would never dare to disappoint, even if an 80-h workweek was necessary to that end. Here, Bernd Sterzel acquired the discipline necessary to become successful as a physician-scientist. An opportunity arose for Bernd Sterzel to join the faculty of the Yale University School of Medicine that led to another sojourn to the United States. This one lasted a decade. Together with David Lovett and others, Bernd Sterzel engaged in mesangial cell research and became interested in the forces responsible for the progression of chronic renal disease. Perhaps more importantly, at Yale, Bernd Sterzel became further imbued in the strongest aspects of the teaching tradition. A sabbatical in Heidelberg contributed to his eventual return to Germany in 1988. Bernd Sterzel was called to take over the largest department of internal medicine-nephrology in Germany at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg. This department was spread over two hospitals in two cities and encompassed 200 inpatient beds, outpatient clinics, renal transplantation, and dialysis facilities. The sheer size of the operation dwarfs that of many US departments of internal medicine, let alone sections of nephrology. Bernd Sterzel was suddenly responsible for 20 faculty members and 50 house officers. The research track record of this department had in the past been negligible. Bernd Sterzel had a mission, and with that mission came a mission statement. With the mission statement, he wanted to make clear the standards, expectations, and responsibilities of his department. Each member was not only to know what was expected, but also what he or she could expect in return. Bernd Sterzel initiated a teaching and training program as he had learned to appreciate in the United States. He sent junior physicians to Yale University and the University of Vermont, not to gain some new laboratory technique, but rather to garner teaching and mentoring skills to meet his standards. Morning report, bed-side case presentations, grand rounds, and similar exercises were conducted in a fashion familiar to those who trained under a Donald Seldin, a Eugene Stead, or a John Hickam. New laboratories were opened. The PCR and Northern blot analysis found their way to nephrology in northern Bavaria. As a result, funding through the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung found its way to Erlangen-Nürnberg. Young physicians came to the American Society of Nephrology annually as participants and not as spectators. Eventually, two clinical research groups, a program for renal disease prevention, and the only program project grant (Sonderforschungsbereich) in Germany exclusively dedicated to renal diseases were established in Erlangen-Nürnberg. The assets Bernd Sterzel leaves behind in Germany and now entrusts to others will require diligent attention and nurturing. Bernd Sterzel had an indomitable will. He prevailed often, accepted defeat grudgingly, albeit graciously, and compromised rarely. He did not suffer fools gladly. Through it all, he stayed true to his standards. “Make no little plans” was his modus vivendi. His illness did not direct his attention to other matters. To the end, he was more concerned with reforming the grant review process of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft or preparing the options for a fellow or junior faculty person than he was with contemplating his personal matters. Fate he met head on. We will miss Bernd Sterzel, who set a new standard for nephrology teaching and research in Germany. He was true to his mentors and thereby became one himself. Editor's Note Dr. Sterzel served as a member of the editorial board of this journal from 1997 until his death. His insightful, detailed, and unbiased critiques of manuscripts submitted to the journal are sorely missed.