John Francis Burke (July 22, 1922 – November 2, 2011) was an American medical researcher at Harvard University widely known for his co-invention of synthetic skin in 1981, together with Dr. Ioannis V. Yannas. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Burke was also widely noted for developing a system of infection control in hospitals and showing that antibiotics given before surgery lower risks of post-operative infections.[1] Burke was head of the Shriners Burns Institute and chief of trauma services at Massachusetts General Hospital,[2] a professor of surgery at Harvard University.[2]
John Francis Burke | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | November 2, 2011 | (aged 89)
Occupation | Medical researcher |
Spouse |
Agnes Redfearn Goldman
(m. 1952) |
Burke was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 22, 1922.[6] His father, Francis A. Burke, was a railroad man; his mother was Mary Biaggi.[7][6]
In 1952, he married Agnes Redfearn Goldman. They had four children, three sons and a daughter.[7]
Burke attended the University of Illinois and received a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1947.[7][8] He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1951.[1] He enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor and became an Army Air Corps pilot.[7] He flew P-51 and P-38 fighters.[8] After World War II, he worked at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.[8]
Burke studied the use of antibiotics in the perioperative period to reduce the risk of bacterial infection.[7]
He participated in a number of major advances in burn care.[7] Burke performed experiemental and clinical work at Shriners Burns Institute (now known as Shriners Hospital for Children – Boston).[7]
Burke died on November 2, 2011 in Lexington, Massachusetts.[1][9]