Yutaka Kikkawa M.D.

1932 - 2016

January 30, 1932 - July 31, 2016 Yutaka Kikkawa, M.D., 84, died peacefully on the 31st of July, 2016, at his home in Santa Ana, CA. He was Professor Emeritus and former Chairman of the UC Irvine Department of Pathology until 2000. Born to Watari Oni and Chikako Kuroda Kikkawa in Oita, Japan, Yutaka distinguished himself at the University of Tokyo as an undergraduate and medical student, and was an avid ice hockey player. He maintained several close friends from school throughout his life. After an internship at the Tokyo US Army Hospital, Dr. Kikkawa was a Fulbright Fellow at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, WA. He was subsequently a resident and then faculty member at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, where he published pioneering and highly cited work on Type II lung cells and lung surfactants. His work, to this day, saves newborn lives from Respiratory Distress Syndrome. He subsequently became the Chair of Pathology at New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, before relocating to UCI in 1988. Dr. Kikkawa is remembered by his family as a loving father and husband who navigated life with reassuring optimism and a sense of humor. Some of his favorite pastimes were playing golf, vacationing with family on Lake Winnipesaukee, traveling with friends, and pampering his cat. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Helen; their children Rita, Denise, Jay and Carol; their grandchildren Ryan, Abby, Charlotte, Katie, William, Max, Brandon, and Maryanne; and his sister Chigusa Araki. He was predeceased by his parents, his sister Kimiko Ohno, his brother Akira Kikkawa, and his grandson, Matthew. A memorial in honor of his years of service is being sponsored by the Department of Pathology at UCI and will be held at 2 PM, 11/13/2016 at the UCI University Club, 801 East Peltason Dr., Irvine, CA 92697. In lieu of flowers, acquaintances may wish to consider a donation to the Lung Cancer Alliance.