Dr. Paul Kornblith
KORNBLITH: Dr. Paul Kornblith, Jan. 15, 1938 – Jan. 10, 2023. Paul was born in in Philadelphia, graduated from Central High School at age 16 and attended Temple University and Jefferson Medical College. Upon graduation, he served two years active duty in the U.S. Army, one stationed in Korea and one in Valley Forge Military Hospital, then five years in the Army Reserves. Paul had an illustrious career in neurosurgery, including teaching at Harvard Medical School, serving as chief of surgical neurology at the National Institutes of Health, then as chief of neurosurgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center before being appointed professor and vice chairman of neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. In 1993, growing out of his life-long research in tissue culture, he founded a bio-medical company, Precision Therapeutics. A pioneer in precision medicine and an anchor for Pittsburgh’s then-new biotech sector, the company grew cells from cancerous tumors and then tested chemotherapy medicines in the lab, rather than on the patient. The technologies honed as the company’s CEO and scientific leader have extended thousands of lives. Employment at PTI grew to a peak of over 200 employees. In 2019 PTI merged with Helomics Corporation, now a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company Predictive Oncology. Dr. Kornblith is survived by his children, Nicholas Kornblith, Robin Sneider and Margot Carter, and grandchildren, Marina, David, Kai, Lana, Mara, Sarah and Matthew. He is also survived by his ex-wife, Judy Kornblith Kobell. Funeral services were on Jan. 12, in Austin Texas. PJC
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