I. Hüttner

Biography

Dr. Istvan Hüttner completed his MD degree with "Summa Cum Laude" at the Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary in 1961. He started his career by teaching and pursuing research in vascular pathology in the 2nd Department of Pathology of the same University where he obtained his certificate in Anatomical Pathology and held the title of Assistant Professor. In 1967-68 he obtained a postdoctoral fellowship at the Faculte de Medicine de Paris, France, then in 1969-71 he was awarded a Canadian Arthritis and Rheumatism Society Fellowship at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. While holding this latter fellowship, he started his research that led to original discoveries on vascular endothelium and his prominence in the field of vascular cell biology. He obtained a post-doctoral PhD degree in 1973 at McGill University, certificates in Anatomical Pathology by the American Board of Pathology, the College des Medecins du Quebec and became Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (FRCPC) in 1975. He was appointed to Assistant Professor in 1973, Associate Professor in 1976 and promoted to Full Professor in 1981 at the Department of Pathology, McGill University. He spent a sabbatical year as Visiting Professor at the University of Geneva, Switzerland in 1983-84 where he was also recipient of the Zyma Award.

Research Interest

Until his retirement in 2000 Dr. Hüttner was also a Senior Pathologist at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal. During the first two decades of his tenure at McGill University he excelled primarily in teaching and research and published over 120 scientific papers on the structure and function of vascular endothelium in normal and disease states, particularly cell junction morphology and assembly, including the first description of gap junctions in arterial endothelium, passage of protein tracers through arterial endothelium, cell to cell, and cell to matrix attachments, as well as on phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells. He pursued additional research on the sarcolemmal membrane of hereditary and acquired, particularly catecholamine induced cardiac muscle cell alterations. In the last 10 years of his active McGill University/Royal Victoria Hospital position he shifted from a primary research oriented career toward service in diagnostic surgical pathology, an activity that he continued to practice part time for several years after his retirement at various McGill Hospitals, particularly in the Sir Mortimer B. Davies Jewish General Hospital and in the St. Mary's Hospital. As recognition of his many years of meritorious service as Full Professor, McGill University conferred him the honorific title of Professor Emeritus in 2009.