Dr. Edward E. Mason, considered by many to be the "Father of Obesity Surgery",  passed away on December 29th, 2020, at the age of 100. 

Dr. Mason had a long and illustrious career in academic surgery.  He received his BA and MD degrees from the University of Iowa, and trained in surgery at the University of Minnesota. He returned to the University of Iowa as an Assistant Professor in 1953, and has been on the faculty ever since. Dr. Mason also served as acting Head of the Department of Surgery in 1981-82.  

In the mid-1960s, Dr. Mason developed the concept of gastric bypass as a means of treating obesity.  Throughout his life, Dr. Mason continued to be extremely interested in the role of surgery in treating obesity, as well as the development of non-surgical means of treating obesity and type-II diabetes. He continued to publish articles on the topic and remained intellectually involved in the refinement of bariatric surgery for his entire career.  Dr. Mason founded the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, serving as its first president in 1983.

Dr. Mason was an extremely humble and thoughtful individual whose loss is keenly felt by his friends and associates in the Dept. of Surgery.

Dr. Mason's obituary can be found here.