Renowned Liver Specialist Named to Endowed Chair

The newly endowed chair is established through the generosity of King, a 1961 graduate of the School of Medicine. A gastroenterologist practicing in Canton, Ohio, King has been lauded as one of the best physicians and endoscopists in the United States.

While at Saint Louis University, King graduated third in his class and was named to the Alpha Omega Alpha national honor society for his exceptional scholastic achievements. King's interest in internal medicine and gastroenterology and hepatology was cultivated during his internship at Firmin Desloge Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital and St. Louis City Hospital.

"I am grateful for the excellent medical education and training I received at Saint Louis University School of Medicine," King said. "I am very proud of Dr. Bacon's accomplishments, and by endowing this chair, I am pleased to be able to play a part in enhancing the mission and prestige of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology."

Bacon earned his undergraduate degree from the College of Wooster (Ohio) in 1971, and his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1975. He completed his training in internal medicine and gastroenterology and hepatology at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital in 1982. He then joined the faculty at Case Western Reserve University and was promoted to associate professor of medicine in 1987. In 1988, Bacon became chief of the section of gastroenterology and hepatology at Louisiana State University School of Medicine.

Bacon joined the faculty of Saint Louis University School of Medicine in 1990 as professor of internal medicine and director of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology. In the 10 years that Bacon has served as director, the division has experienced tremendous growth. Outpatient encounters have risen from 600 annually to more than 1,000 per month. A decade ago, there was virtually no research funding. Now, there is approximately $1.8 million in funding per year. The faculty is now 15 physicians strong, up from three. The 1999 U.S. News & World Report ranking of the top hospitals ranks the gastroenterology and hepatology program at Saint Louis University Hospital in the top 50 of the 6,299 hospitals in the United States.

"The future of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology is bright," Bacon said. "The clinical and research programs continue to grow and thrive, and we plan to develop a Liver Center within the next five years. I am deeply appreciative of Dr. King's generous gift and to Saint Louis University School of Medicine for this honor. With this appointment, I will continue to build on our strong tradition of expert patient care, education for medical students and clinical and basic research."

Bacon has published more than 200 original articles, chapters and reviews, particularly in the areas of iron metabolism and toxicity and hepatitis C. He is co-author of Essentials of Clinical Hepatology (1993) and co-editor of Liver Disease: Diagnosis and Management (2000). He is chair of the subspecialty board on gastroenterology for the American Board of Internal Medicine and became a councilor of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in January 2000. He will become president of the AASLD in 2004.

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