Joseph Izatt, chair of the department of biomedical engineering and Michael J. Fitzpatrick professor of engineering, died April 7, according to a Monday email shared with members of the Pratt School of Engineering.
Izatt suffered a medical emergency while flying a private airplane Sunday. A passenger, the only other person on board with Izatt, made an emergency landing at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport at around 4:50 p.m. The landing made no impact on airport operations.
The cause of the medical emergency is still unclear.
“He was an exceptionally thoughtful leader who weighed every decision with a care that originated with his deep love for the BME community,” wrote Jermone Lynch, dean of the Pratt School of Engineering, in the Monday email. “The integrity and humility he brought as a school leader will be missed.”
Izatt joined the BME department in 2001. Throughout his 23-year tenure, Izatt received the Capers and Marion McDonald Award for Excellence and Advising and the 2017 Graduate School Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring.
Through his research, Izatt is remembered for his role in developing optical coherence tomography, which helps inform diagnosis and treatment decisions for retinal diseases and conditions.
“The loss of Professor Izatt leaves us and the Pratt community with a profound sense of sorrow as his dedication to his family, students, faculty and staff were the hallmarks of who he was as a person,” Lynch wrote. “I am especially saddened to have lost a school leader who proudly led with his heart and who cared so deeply for the members of the BME and Pratt community.”
Ashutosh Chilkoti, Alan L. Kanganov Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, will serve as the acting chair of the department until further notice, Lynch wrote.
Izatt earned his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1991.
Lynch announced there will be a memorial service for Izatt at 11 a.m. Friday at the Goodson Chapel in a Wednesday email to the Pratt community. In lieu of flowers, Izatt’s family requests contributions be made to the Dr. Joseph Izatt Memorial Fund.
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Michael Austin is a Trinity junior and managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Zoe Kolenovsky is a Trinity junior and news editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Abby Spiller is a Trinity junior and editor-in-chief of The Chronicle's 120th volume.