History of the Division of Pulmonary Diseases

The first Division of Pulmonary Diseases was established in the Department of Medicine at the University of Utah in the summer of 1952, when Drs. John McClement and Attilio Renzetti were recruited as co-directors. At that time Salt Lake General Hospital was the teaching base for the School of Medicine, and because of the shortage of space, the Pulmonary Division was located at the Fort Douglas Veterans Administration Hospital on Foothill Boulevard. The Pulmonary Division originally consisted of four fifty-bed wards and included an operating room for thoracic surgery, a fluoroscopy and x-ray unit, and clinical laboratories. In the beginning, the division focused mainly on the diagnosis and treatment of Tuberculosis, but the goal of the new division directors was to establish patient care and be devoted to all chest diseases.

In 1965 the University of Utah Medical center was opened, and Dr. Renzetti quickly began establishing offices and laboratories for the Pulmonary Division, while maintaining a program at the VA Hospital. In 1971 the Pulmonary Division expanded again with an outreach to LDS Hospital. Through our new affiliations at LDS Hospital our pulmonary training program was also able to expand, and during the early 1980's the number of trainees increased from a steady four trainees per year, to a peak of six per year. The Intermountain region finally started to feel the effects of a growing Pulmonary Division, with several trainees choosing to stay in Utah and open private practices.

The Pulmonary Division continued to see major developments in growth. In 1977 they expanded their training program to include a rotation through LDS Hospital’s  Shock/Trauma ICU, which was established by Dr. Terry Clemmer, the first critical care specialist in Utah. In 1984 the Intermountain Sleep Disorders Center was established at LDS Hospital, which in turn helped usher in a sleep laboratory at the University of Utah Medical Center.

Along with treatment of pulmonary diseases, research also played a large role within the Pulmonary Division. In 1987, leadership of the division was transferred to Dr. John Hoidal who brought with him expertise in the field of molecular and cell biology.  After Dr. Hoidal was chosen to chair the Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Robert Paine III was recruited to lead the Pulmonary Division, bringing with him research interests in alveolar epithelial cell biology, and pathogenesis and treatment of acute lung injuries.

Today, under Dr. Paine’s guidance, the Pulmonary Division continues to expand and thrive, maintaining its strong emphasis on training clinicians in Pulmonary Medicine, providing high-quality patient care, and conducting state of the art research in pulmonary disease.