Kidney dialysis pioneer Dr. Michael Brescia dies at 90

Dr. Michael Brescia, a kidney dialysis pioneer and co-founder of modern palliative care and hospice care, died April 19 in his home in Westchester County, NY, at the age of 90. His death was announced by New York’s Calvary Hospital where he was medical director emeritus.

Brescia, with Dr. James Cimino, developed the Brescia-Cimino fistula in the 1960s at the Bronx VA Hospital. The invention provides safe and reliable vascular access for dialysis that has saved the lives of tens of millions of people.

Co-founder of hospice and palliative care

Brescia is widely considered a co-founder of modern hospice and palliative care in America. He joined The House of Calvary in the Bronx, now known as Calvary Hospital, in 1962 as an attending physician. He was appointed executive medical director in 1994, a position he held until December 2019.

Dr. Christopher Comfort, chief executive officer, said, “The medical community will feel the effect of Dr. Brescia’s loss for years to come. He will be remembered as a true innovator, [one] whose significant medical advancements saved many and, as a comforter and healer, [one] who cared deeply for lives who could not be saved.”

Brescia was also a director of renal services, director of the hemodialysis unit, and nephrology consultant at the Bronx VA Hospital.

A devout Catholic and firm believer in the dignity of human life, Brescia received the Good Samaritan Award from the National Catholic Development Council.

Completed residency at Bronx VA

A graduate of Fordham University and Georgetown University School of Medicine, Brescia completed his residency at the Bronx VA.

In 1994 and 2009, he received honorary doctorates from Fordham University (NY) and The College of New Rochelle (NY), respectively.

Brescia is survived by his six children and nine grandchildren. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Monica.