Republished from an email sent from the Network for Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes (nPOD).
Dear Colleagues, Dear Friends:
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of our dear friend and esteemed colleague, Massimo Pietropaolo, MD. He was highly respected and much loved in our community. With this note, we wish to honor his memory.
Massimo, or “Max” as most of us called him, was a Professor with Tenure of Medicine, Pathology and Immunology, the McNair Scholar at the McNair Medical Institute, and Director of the Type 1 Diabetes Program and Associate Director of the Diabetes Research Center, at the Baylor College of Medicine. He previously held faculty positions at the University of Michigan (2006-2014) and the University of Pittsburgh (1995-2006). Before then, he completed a clinical fellowship in endocrinology at the University of Perugia, Italy, from where he had also obtained his MD degree. He began his research journey in type 1 diabetes at the Joslin Diabetes Center (1990-1992), training with the late Dr. George Eisenbarth, followed by moving along with him to the Barbara Davis Center (1992-1995). Max went on to hold many leadership positions including serving as Co-Chair of the JDRF Biomarker Working Group and steering committee member of the Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet. Among his academic achievements of more than 30 years are a Career Development Award from the American Diabetes Association; the Columbus Day Award from the Italian-American Society, New York, NY; the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award, University of Perugia Medical School, Perugia, Italy; the League of Research Excellence Award, University of Michigan; and many more.
Max dedicated his professional life to being a physician-scientist. He touched the lives of many patients and contributed many scientific discoveries in the type 1 diabetes research area. He contributed pioneering studies to the characterization of islet autoimmunity and disease prediction in patients, such as the identification of a human autoantigen, ICA69. He coauthored a 1997 Nature Genetics paper demonstrating insulin gene expression in the human thymus in relation to allelic variation, which drew attention to the thymus and central tolerance as a mechanism that was also an important pathway for immune responsiveness to peripheral antigens, of which insulin is a classic example. More recently, he discovered autoantibody responses reactive with a new variant and with the extracellular domain of the islet autoantigen IA-2 that are associated with more rapid progression to clinical diagnosis, which is relevant for prevention trials. He was also developing cell therapies including regulatory B cells and (CAR) T cells for type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases, and leading studies on the potential utility of continuous glucose monitoring for analyzing the natural history of type 1 diabetes.
Max was always enthusiastic, energetic, with a positive attitude about life. He was very humble and easygoing, and great fun to be around. He was both thoughtful and measured. Wherever Max went, or whoever he met, he made friends and colleagues for a lifetime. For those of us who had the good fortune to known him, we feel blessed to have been his friends. We certainly share many, many memories of friendship and collegiality with Max and we will miss him dearly.
About 4 years ago, Max was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. With great stamina and optimism, he underwent several therapies, some of which bored serious risks and side effects. While treatments controlled the situation for some time, eventually the cancer returned. As we saw him go through these trying times, we grew to admire him even more, as he showed great strength, courage, and dignity. Remarkably, Max continued to work until the end. After much suffering, he found peace in his home in Houston, on Monday, June 20, 2022. He was only 65 years old.
Our hearts and prayers go Max’s family, to Susan, wife and mother of his two sons, Michele and Giacomo, and to his brother from his native Italy, Renato.
Max, dear Max, we will remember you. Rejoice in your peace.
Alberto Pugliese, MD, Carmella Evans-Mollina MD, PhD, Mark Atkinson, PhD
nPOD Leadership
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations supporting Baylor College of Medicine in Dr. Pietropaolo's honor. Please visit bcm.edu/giving/Pietropaolo to make a gift online, by phone at (713) 798–4714, or by mail to the following address:
Baylor College of Medicine
Office of Institutional Advancement and Alumni Affairs
MSC #800
P.O. BOX 4976
Houston, Texas 77210
