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Benjamin W. Zweifach, 1910 - 1997

Professor Emeritus Bioengineering
University of California, San Diego

Benjamin W. Zweifach received a B.S. degree from the College of the City of New York in 1931 and his Ph.D. degree in Cellular Physiology from New York University in 1936. He was the recipient of an Established Investigator Award from 1950-1955 and a Career Investigator Award from 1955-1960. He served as an Assistant Professor and then as an Associate Professor of Physiology in the Cornell Medical School from 1947-1952. He then returned to New York University as Associate Professor of Biology and Pathology from 1952 1958 and Professor of Pathology from 1958-1966. In 1966 he joined the faculty at UCSD as Professor of Bioengineering, where he has remained for the past 28 years.

His areas of specialization include Cardiovascular Physiology, Microcirculation, the Lymphatic System, the Inflammatory Process, Blood-Tissue Exchange, Shock and Blood Rheology. His current research is concerned with the contribution of the endothelial cells and the blood leukocytes to the microcirculatiory imbalance in Hypertension and in Diabetes.

Professional Societies

American Physiological Society, Harvey Society, American Heart Association, Society For Leukocyte Biology, Sigma Xi Fellow, New York Academy of Sciences Fellow, American Association For Advancement of Science, Histochemical Society, American Association of Anatomists, American Microcirculatory Society, Biomedical Engineering Socieety, Fellow American Institute For Medical And Biological Engineering.

Advisory Committees

U.S.P.H.S. Cardiovascular Study Section, 1963-1967, Committee on Shock and Trauma, National Academy of Science - 1960-1968, Numerous Site-Visit Committees for the National Institutes of Health and U.S. Army Medical Research, Subcommittee on Shock, US Army , 1980-1985, Premedical Advisory Committee UCSD School of Medicine, Founding Editor of Microvascular Research Journal.

Professional Distinctions:

• Established Investigator, American Heart Association, 1950-1955
• Career Investigator, Health Research Council, City of N.Y., 1955-1960
• Established Investigator, American Heart Association - 1955-1960.
• Claude Bernarde Medal in Physiology, Montreal Canada, 1964
• Career Investigator, N.Y.C. Health Research Council , 1960-1966.
• President Reticulo-Endothelial Society 1965
• Nathanson Memorial Lecturer, Univ. Southern California - 1967
• M. Landis Award, USA Microcirculatory Society, 1972
• Hodges Lecturer in Surgery, Univ, North Carolina - 1974
• Chairman, Circulation Section, American Physiological Society, 1974
• President, Microcirculatory Society - 1975
• Keynote Address First World Congress for Microcirculation - 1979
• Malpighi Gold Medal, European Microcirculatory Society, 1980
• The USA Microcirculatory Society set up a ZWEIFACH GOLD MEDAL AWARD in 1982 for workers with oustanding research in the field.
• The V. A. Administration Hospital established a B.W. ZWEIFACH Research Laboratory For Microcirculation in 1988.
• Lars Gelin Lecture, European Shock Society - 1984
• Honorary President, International Institute for Microcirculation, 1983, Uppsala, Sweden, 1983
• Honorary Member, British Microcirculatory Society - 1984
• Honorary Life Member, Society For Leukocyte Biology, 1985
• The C.J. Wiggers Award, American Physiological Society in 1993 for major contributions to Circulatory Physiology, 1993
• Gold Medal, First Asian Conference on Microcirculation, 1993
• Townsend Harris Medal, Distinguished Alumni, College of City of New York, 1993.