Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Dr. John W. Rebuck, Birmingham: Ford Hospital doctor's pathology work drew national acclaim

By Joel Kurth / The Detroit News

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Dr. John W. Rebuck, a pioneer pathologist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, died Monday, Oct. 10, 2005, in Bethesda, Md. The longtime Birmingham resident was 90 years old.

Dr. Rebuck served as chief of Henry Ford's Division of Laboratory Hematology from 1947 until 1976. He was known nationally for his work that led to breakthroughs in understanding sickle cell hemoglobin and organ transplantation. He retired in 1981.

"He was a titan of pathology: the best of the best," said Dr. Richard J. Zarbo, chairman of Henry Ford's Department of Pathology.

"He trained (scores) of residents and fellows, published more than 200 papers, six books and was the name in hematology in these parts."

"That's as good as it gets in a career," Zarbo said.

Developed at the behest of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Rebuck created a "skin window" test that monitors transplant patients' abilities to withstand infections. It was critical to determining how much drugs to administer after organ transplants, and also used in other applications, Zarbo said.

Dr. Rebuck also served as a consultant to NASA during the Apollo moon landing program.

Through his career, he received so many awards that it took three pages to list them. Among them: Henry Ford's distinguished career award and president of the Michigan Pathological Society.

Dr. Rebuck, a native of Minneapolis, earned his medical degree from the University of Minnesota in 1943.

He served in the Army Medical Corps during World War II and joined Ford's staff after he was discharged in 1947.

Following the death of his wife, Virginia, in 2004, Dr. Rebuck moved to Maryland.

Survivors include a nephew and three nieces.

The funeral will be Saturday at Holy Redeemer Church in Kensington, Md. A local memorial service is being planned at St. Regis Catholic Church in Birmingham in November.

You can reach Joel Kurth at (313) 222-2610 or jkurth@detnews.com.