M. Roy First, MB, B.Ch (M.D.), FCP(SA)
June 17, 1943 - July 18, 2025
Dr. Roy First entered this world on June 17, 1943, in Johannesburg, South Africa. He received his M.B., B.Ch (M.D.) and Fellow of the College of Physicians (Specialist Physician) medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand Health Sciences in Johannesburg, where he subsequently completed an internal medicine residency. In 1971, he and his wife Bobbie made the courageous decision to leave apartheid-era South Africa to complete his postgraduate medical training in the United States with a fellowship in nephrology at the Michael Reese Hospital on the south side of Chicago. They arrived in Hyde Park with their two young children, a couple of suitcases, and a thousand dollars to their name.
Upon completion of his nephrology fellowship, Dr. First was recruited by his mentor, Dr. Victor Pollak, to join him in the newly-created Division of Nephrology at the University of Cincinnati. An exceptionally talented and impeccably trained nephrologist, Dr. First had been selected by Dr. Pollak to play a leading role in the development of transplantation in Cincinnati. In fulfilling this charge, Dr. First founded transplant nephrology and was the first transplant physician at the University of Cincinnati. He was promoted to Professor of Medicine in 1985 and became the Director of the Section of Transplant Nephrology in 1987. Much of the early success and the rise to international prominence of the University of Cincinnati Kidney Transplant Program was due to his leadership.
Dr. First was a talented teacher, immensely respected by the many fellows, residents, and junior faculty members that he mentored and trained. To his colleagues, he was recognized consistently as an extraordinarily talented physician, and an exemplary teacher. Dr. First was also noted for his respect and dedication to his surgical colleagues, probably best exemplified by the partnership he forged with Dr. J. Wesley Alexander. This partnership was widely recognized as one of the earliest and premier surgeon/nephrologist relationships in the field of transplantation, at a time when such close collaborations between transplant surgeons and physicians were the rare exception.
Dr. First was an ardent patient advocate, and his team of transplant nurses, staff, and nephrology trainees exemplified his passion. His patients recognized his unwavering support, and returned this with an extraordinary devotion.
Dr. First was a prolific clinical investigator, publishing over 400 scientific articles with over 11,000 citations. Immunosuppressive drug development was a major focus of his research and included some of the earliest experiences with OKT3 and with the calcineurin inhibitor, tacrolimus. In recognition of his expertise and experience in this area, he was selected to serve on the FDA Advisory Committee for Transplantation. He was a close collaborator with Dr. Israel Penn on early studies of transplantation-related malignancies. Dr. First served as the President of the American Society of Transplantation (1990–1991), and also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Transplantation in 2013. Dr. First joined Astellas Pharma in 2003, serving as Vice President and Therapeutic Area Leader in Transplantation. After a decade at Astellas Pharma, he joined Transplant Genomics in 2013 as Chief Medical Officer.
Roy was well known as an oenophile with a world-class palate and was known to display exceptional abilities in blind tastings. He and his wife Bobbie were enthusiastic epicureans, and Roy was fortunate that Bobbie was an exceptional chef. They were known to frequent top restaurants in their varied travels. Roy was passionate about sports and continued to play competitive soccer well into middle age. He was also an ardent fan of the South African cricket and rugby teams and his adopted Cincinnati Bengals. Throughout his life, Roy was an indefatigable champion for the underprivileged, dating from his youth as a member of a prominent family known for their staunch anti-apartheid beliefs.
Roy cut a broad swath intellectually, scholastically, and socially in the transplant world, and he is greatly missed by those whose lives he touched and many whose lives he enhanced. The void that remains is considerably, yet incompletely, filled by those he trained and counseled, those he healed and consoled, and those he loved.
Roy is survived by his loving wife Barbara (known to his many friends and colleagues as Bobbie), two brothers, his son Steven and daughter Leonora, and four grandsons.
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