Dr. Philip Kahler Hench

1930 - 2009

Dr. Philip Kahler Hench (Kahler, P.K.) was born on September 19, 1930, and passed away at the age of 79 on October 28, 2009, following a struggle with Lewy Body disease. Kahler is survived by Barbara, his wife of 55 years; children, Philip, John and Amanda; and grandchildren, Hannah, Johnny, Cole, Paige and Hagen.
Kahler was born in Rochester, Minnesota, attended preparatory school at the Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and college at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Dr. Hench graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1958. Following medical school, Dr. Hench interned at the University of Colorado Medical Center, and completed Residency and Fellowships at the Mayo Clinic at the University of Minnesota, where he received the Philip S. Hench Rheumatology Scholarship Award (named for Kahler's Nobel Prize winning father relating to his discovery of cortisone). Dr. Hench was a guest investigator at the National Institutes of Health and pursued post-graduate education at rheumatologic centers in Europe, Scandinavia and Russia.
Following his education, Dr. Hench began his career in the Division of Rheumatology at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La Jolla, California, in 1965, and served as the head of the Division from 1974 to 1982. He became a Senior Consultant in 1982 and an assistant professor at the Scripps Research Institute in 1988. Dr. Hench retired from Scripps Clinic in 1998. During his career, Dr. Hench trained 38 fellows in rheumatology, presented more than 100 invited lectures and published 86 papers and abstracts. In 1982, Dr. Hench joined a People to People Ambassador mission to China (study of aging) and in 2001 led a People to People rheumatology delegation to Cuba. He received Scripps Clinic Distinguished Service awards in 1982 and 1996, was cited in Who's Who and Best Doctors in America, and was involved with several academic organizations including as a Master of the American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Hench's particular field of interest was nonarticular rheumatism, and he is credited for coining the term "fibromyalgia" associated with the condition.
Kahler was a truly devoted husband, father and grandfather. He and Barbara traveled extensively, including with the National Society of Clinical Rheumatologists, visiting all seven continents. Kahler enjoyed ocean swimming, skiing, bicycling, tennis and hiking. Always a dapper dresser with a keen sense of humor, Kahler was also an avid reader, wine lover and music lover, belonging to the Board of Advisors to the San Diego Opera. Kahler was a member of the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, The Twelve Thirty Club of the La Jolla Country Club, and volunteered with the University of California, San Diego Police Department.
A celebration of Kahler's life will be held in the Chapel of the La Jolla Presbyterian Church, 7715 Draper Avenue, La Jolla, on Saturday, November 7, at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to UCSD Alzheimer's Research, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0948, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0948, (858) 622-5800, or to the San Diego Opera, Attn: Development Department, 18th Floor Civic Center Plaza, 1200 Third Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101, (619) 533-7000.