Lupus Expert Evelyn Hess, MD, 90, Passes Away

William Ball, MD, Senior Vice President for Health Affairs, Christian R. Holmes Professor and Dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and Gregory Rouan, MD, Gordon and Helen Hughes Taylor Chair in Internal Medicine, today issued the following concerning the death of Evelyn Hess, MD.

We are deeply saddened to inform you that Evelyn Hess, MD, professor emerita of internal medicine and founder of our Division of Immunology, Rheumatology and Allergy, passed away on Christmas Day.

Dr. Hess achieved international renown for a distinguished research career focused across the broad spectrum of immunological and rheumatic diseases, with particular expertise in lupus. Her trailblazing work on the environmental aspects of lupus advanced this area of investigation. She was equally known as a compassionate clinician and extraordinary teacher. Widely respected as "the doctor's doctor," her contributions to the well-being of patients and the community have been recognized throughout the world.

A native of Ireland, Dr. Hess received her medical degree from University College in Dublin. She completed internships and residencies in various London teaching hospitals and had a research fellowship in the epidemiology of tuberculosis. She completed rheumatology fellowships at the Royal Free Hospital and Medical School and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

In 1964, Dr. Hess was recruited to the University of Cincinnati from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School to become the founding leader of the Division of Immunology, Rheumatology and Allergy, a position she held until 1995. From 1969 until 1995 she also held the Walter A. & George McDonald Foundation Chair of Medicine. During her tenure as Division Director, she built a division which combined the disciplines of rheumatology and allergy based upon their common immunological underpinnings and created a unit which excelled in research, teaching and clinical care. One of her proudest accomplishments was the training and mentoring of over 70 rheumatology fellows who went on to successful careers in academia, clinical practice and the pharmaceutical industry. 

Dr. Hess received a multitude of professional honors during her distinguished career, including a Daniel Drake Medal in 2001 and the Distinguished Rheumatologist Award from the American College of Rheumatology in 1996. Dr. Hess also was a Master of both the American College of Rheumatology and the American College of Physicians, and was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology and the Royal Society of Medicine.

The Evelyn V. Hess Chair for Lupus Research was established at the UC College of Medicine in 2009 in Hess’ honor. In 2007, the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Physicians began awarding the Evelyn V. Hess Master Teacher Award to physician teachers. The Lupus Foundation of America in 2005 established the Evelyn V. Hess MD, Research Award. Presented at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting each year, the award honors researchers whose life's work has significantly advanced understanding of the causes and treatment of lupus. 

Dr. Hess was one of the founding members of the American Rheumatism Medical Information System (ARAMIS), the first organization to create and successfully utilize a multinational, computerized database of patients with rheumatic diseases. She remained on its steering committee for more than three decades guiding its research agenda to answer the most important and clinically relevant questions. She was instrumental in passing the Ohio Arthritis Act, which specifically funded patient education and supported fellowship training statewide. Additionally, she founded and chaired the Greater Cincinnati AIDS Task Force, before the realization that AIDS was actually an infectious disease, because she felt there was a need to organize to effectively combat this devastating disease. 

No services are planned for Dr. Hess.