LUCAS KULCZYCKI

KULCZYCKI Dr. LUCAS KULCZYCKI (Age 106) Of Arlington, VA died peacefully of natural causes on May 3, 2018. Born in Poland on August 19, 1911, he escaped during the onset of WWII and served in the Polish Armed Forces in the West, Scottish Command, Polish Medical Corps, as a Liaison Medical Officer and Lieutenant, 1940-1947. He received doctorates in Bacteriology and Veterinary Medicine from the University of Lwow, Poland, 1936; Doctor of Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland 1946; Master of Public Health, University of London, United Kingdom, 1948; Diploma in Child Health, Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons, Dublin, Ireland, 1950. Affectionately known as "Dr. K," he began his career as the Medical Center Director for the Department of Health in Winnipeg, Canada, and then came to the US as research physician and lecturer at the Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. In 1962, he arrived in Washington, DC as Associate Professor and Director of the Cystic Fibrosis Center, Children's Hospital, and then became Professor of Pediatrics, Director of the CF Center, and Consultant in Pulmonology at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC from 1977-1991. Dr. K served as Fellow, Royal College of Physicians, Edinburg; diplomate of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Life Member, Medical Society of the District of Columbia, and American American Medical Association; Fellow, New York Academy of sciences; President, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 1974-1977; Vice President, Polish American Congress; Honorary Member, Polish Pediatric Society; and as Executive Board Member, International Center of Immunology, Georgetown University. As founding President of the Polish American Health Association, he sought to strengthen the exchange of education and research in the area of medical sciences between the US and Poland. Dr. K received Outstanding Service citations, from the Health Department of Manitoba, Canada, 1953 and Health Department of Maine, 1968; International Expert Award, Agency for International Development, 1967; Physician's recognition awards, American Medical Association, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1992-1999; two awards, National Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation, 1973; and Bicentennial Medal, Georgetown University 1981. In 2006, Dr. Kulczycki was awarded one of the highest civilian awards, the Knights Cross of the Order of Merit, from the Republic of Poland. A pioneer in the field of cystic fibrosis, Dr. Kulczycki and his colleague Dr. Harry Shwachman created the now universally-excepted and utilized Shwachman- Kulczycki Scoring (SKS) system for evaluation and progress of patients with CF, a system for which they received special citation by the Institute for Scientific Information in 1987. Dr. K's numerous research and scientific publications included a 10-year seminal study defining the incidents and clinical characteristics of CF in African-American children in the District of Columbia. He instilled the use of pulmonary therapy, and inspired thoracic surgeons to perform bronchoscopy and bronchial wash for the treatment of respiratory failure in patients with CF, procedures which saved and prolonged the lives of hundreds of CF patients. In the late 1980s, he also served as a Medical Expert, testifying on the Effects of Tetracycline. In the last decade of his career, Dr. K studied the effects of heart and lung transplants in CF patients, and was excited by new discoveries and advancements in the field of CF genetics. The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburg bestowed their fellowship on Dr. Kulczycki with this citation: "His contributions to research, diagnosis, and management of children who suffer from cystic fibrosis have made him loved and respected in many countries of the world. It is a measure of the man that he is still welcome to the country of his birth, Poland; in Scotland, the land he adopted and where he was trained; and in the land where he has since made his life and professional reputation, the United States; as well as in many other parts of the world from India to South America and Europe, where he has lectured and is accepted as an acknowledged expert in his field." Dr. Kulczycki married Halina Dolasinska in 1963. He is survived by his daughter, Dorothy Schilder, (Thomas) of McLean, VA; son, Christopher Kulczycki (Annette Najjar) of Annapolis, MD; and his beloved grandchildren, Virginia and Tommy Schilder, and Alec Kulczycki. In 2002, he published his autobiography, From Adversity to Victory: History of a Physician at the Crossroads of Life, and dedicated it to his family and to the children of Poland. Mass and Memorial Service on June 14, 2018,10:30 a.m. at Goodwin House Bailey's in Falls Church, VA. Private burial will take place at Columbia Gardens in Arlington, VA. In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at www.cff.org Mass and Memorial Service on June 14, 2018,10:30 a.m. at Goodwin House Bailey's in Falls Church, VA. Private burial will take place at Columbia Gardens in Arlington, VA. In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at www.cff.org