J. Barry McKernan, MD, PhD—A Profile

Dr. Barry McKernan, who performed the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the United States, has followed a surgical trail that truly represents the spirit of the American surgeon. He completed his undergraduate studies at a time when American medicine, American surgery, and clinically related research were beginning their Golden Age. The interval was the mid 1960s. Medical students and graduate students had enormous opportunities. Graduate educational funding and research funding were increasing dramatically through various sources—especially the National Institutes of Health. The beginning of the Golden Age promoted enthusiasm and energy amongst bright, young, talented physicians and graduate students. Barry was one of these bright, enthusiastic, altruistic, young Americans willing to devote himself to medicine and clinical science as a career, with a conscious understanding that he intended to make his mark and significantly improve medical care through clinical research.