Paul Terasaki ’50, M.A. ’52, Ph.D. ’56

Paul Ichiro Terasaki, professor emeritus of surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine and pioneer in organ transplant medicine, died Jan. 25, 2016. Terasaki spent three years in a Japanese–American internment camp during World War II before becoming a three-time UCLA graduate. He is known for developing the test that became the international standard method for tissue typing. The procedure, which assesses the compatibility of organ donors and recipients, has been used for all kidney, heart, liver, pancreas, lung and bone marrow donors and recipients for the past 40 years. In 1984, he founded One Lambda with eight former students; the company now has more than 270 employees and continues to play a central role in the advancement of tissue typing. Terasaki was also highly active within Japanese-American community, including the Japanese American National Museum and the U.S. - Japan Council.

Terasaki was a great UCLA supporter and donor. He was awarded the UCLA Medal, the campus’s highest honor, in 2012.

He is survived by Hisako; their four children; six grandchildren, Mayumi, Paul, Kazuo, Susie, Kenta and Miya; and his brother, Richard. He was 86.

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