James Samuel Kaufman

Jim said that to understand his life, you must watch the film "It's a Wonderful Life." He lived his life by trying to do good for others, first as a major in the U.S. Army, and as a practicing nephrologist in the VA system for more than 50 years. He felt rewarded at the end, despite cancer, by seeing all that goodness come back to him through the love and support of his friends and family.

Jim was born and raised in Detroit to Minna and Otto Kaufman, refugees from Germany, and attended Mumford High School. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, he attended UCSF Medical School, remaining for his internship and residency and then returned to Michigan for further training at the University of Michigan.

As a researcher, he was a leader in multiple studies from NIH, the VA and industry. He was on the editorial board of many journals, and long-standing associate editor of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. Most importantly to him, he was a mentor to many Fellows during their training at both Boston University Medical Center and NYU Medical Center. After serving at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, he spent most of his career at the Boston VA Medical Center, but his final years at NYU Medical Center and the New York VA Medical Center. He was instrumental in organizing the VA research in kidney disease at a national level, leading to 40 years of important clinical trials. His first study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, highlighted the most effective way to deliver the drug Epoetin. His vascular access trials led to an understanding of how to maintain fistulas for dialysis to optimize access and maintenance.

He is survived by his wife Bonnie, his daughter Karen (Harris) and son-in-law Ian, and grandchildren Luke and Georgiana ("Georgie"), and his sister Joan.

Donations in Jim's name can be directed to the University of California San Francisco Medical School, where he gratefully attended on scholarships that changed his life and the lives of thousands through his half-century of service, or CancerCare.org.