Eminent Scientists to Gather at UB to Honor Pioneering Physiologist

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Scientists from Europe, Asia and the U.S. will gather in Buffalo Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 for a symposium honoring the late Leon Farhi, M.D., a pioneer in the field of pulmonary medicine, environmental physiology and bioengineering.

Farhi was a SUNY Distinguished Professor and chaired the Department of Physiology in the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biological Sciences for many years.

The symposium will be held in the Buffalo Niagara Marriott, adjacent to UB's North (Amherst) Campus.

Farhi's research and leadership led the fields of pulmonary medicine, environmental physiology and bioengineering for more than 35 years. He pioneered the study of the distribution of respiratory gases and blood within the lungs and tissues, and developed new approaches for measuring cardiac output and gas exchange. He worked with scientists from around the world, including young physicians who later became leaders in their fields. Farhi was a devoted teacher throughout his career and pioneered the use of computers and simulation programs in teaching.

Working with colleagues at UB, he studied man's adaptation to space during NASA space shuttle flights in the 1990s. That work lead to establishment of the National Center of Excellence in Environmental Physiology at UB, which became the current Center for Research and Education in Special Environments (CRESE). CRESE contains the most advanced facilities to simulate environmental stress in the world.

Researchers from the following institutions will serving as symposium faculty: Harvard Medical School; Imperial College in London, England; Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden; Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine in Gottingen, Germany; National Institutes of Health; Stanford University; University of Alabama-Birmingham; University at Buffalo; University of Milan, Italy; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; University of Oklahoma; University of Udine, Italy; University of Washington; Yale University School of Medicine, and University of Zurich, Switzerland.

A poster session will be held Sept. 29 from noon to 6 p.m.

The symposium is supported by the departments of Physiology and Biophysics and Medicine, UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, CRESE, UB Rahn Lecture Series, ONY, Inc., Omni Quarter Technology, and Farhi's friends and family.