In Memory of Burton Zweiman, MD, FAAAAI

Burton Zweiman, MD, FAAAAI, a prominent allergist/immunologist and long-time AAAAI member, passed away on December 24, 2013. Dr. Zweiman had been an AAAAI member since 1964 and a Fellow since 1970. He was the 1994-1995 AAAAI President and also had the distinction of serving as Editor of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology from 1988-1993.  

Dr. Zweiman received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine in 1956. After completing a residency in Internal Medicine at Bellevue Hospital Center, he became a fellow in immunology at NYU Medical Center.

He completed his training in allergy and immunology at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). Following a brief stint in the Navy, he joined the faculty at Penn’s School of Medicine, where he swiftly moved up the academic ranks to Professor of Medicine and Neurology in 1975.

Dr. Zweiman served as Chair of the Allergy and Immunology Division from 1974 until his elevation to emeritus status in 1998. During his tenure, he trained legions of postdoctoral fellows who have gone on to make their marks in the subspecialty of allergy/immunology.

As a young faculty member, Dr. Zweiman expanded the traditional role of the allergist by taking on the challenge of patients who presented with all manner of immune-mediated diseases. He pioneered the field that would one day be known as Clinical Immunology. In addition to maintaining a busy practice of allergic patients at Penn, he helped establish the hospital’s renal transplant program. He developed the hospital’s first Clinical Immunology service laboratory. In addition, he forged strong links between the teaching, patient care, and research missions of the Departments of Medicine, Pathology, and Neurology.

Dr. Zweiman is widely regarded for his many accomplishments in the education, research and clinical arenas. His extraordinary skills as an educator won him the most prestigious teaching awards at Penn. In the research arena, he made important contributions to our early understanding of the actions of immunosuppressive agents. He made seminal observations on the immunopathogenesis of demyelinating diseases and, throughout his entire career, provided important insights into the cellular basis of IgE-mediated inflammation.

Dr. Zweiman’s devotion and longstanding service to the specialty and the AAAAI were recognized by his presentation with the AAAAI Distinguished Service Award in 2000. He was also presented with the AAAAI Special Recognition Award in 1993 and again in 2005. He will be greatly missed.