Mark Hansen Deierhoi

Beloved son, husband, father, granddad, friend, and colleague, Mark Hansen Deierhoi, MD, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, June 4, 2020 in Mountain Brook, Alabama. Mark was born on his parents’ fifth anniversary, December 20, 1951 in Cleveland, Ohio. He shared his love of nature with others at his first job as a volunteer at the Lake Erie Science Center, but he knew at a young age he wanted to be a doctor. His enthusiasm for both science and helping others ultimately led to his path in the medical field.

Graduating from Westlake High School in 1970, he attended Northwestern University for undergraduate, medical school, and surgery residency. During his time as a resident, he developed an interest in kidney transplantation, because it was where he believed he could make a difference in medicine. He pursued that career by doing two years of research across the pond at the John Radcliffe University Hospital in Oxford and a transplant fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Mark joined the faculty of the Department of Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1986 and was promoted to the position of Professor in 1996. Since his arrival at UAB, he performed almost 2,500 kidney transplants and impacted countless other lives through his interactions with patients and their families, his colleagues, and his trainees. He was well-respected in the field, holding leadership positions in the Division of Transplantation and in various national transplantation organizations. He was instrumental in reestablishing the kidney transplant program at the Birmingham VA Hospital. He received the Kirby I. Bland Surgical Faculty Teacher of the Year Award, delivered the Arnold G. Diethelm Lecture in Surgical Science, and was honored with an endowed professorship given in his name.

Though a humble and gentle individual, he was proud to share the accomplishments of his family. He was an avid fan of all things music and spent time finding new artists and rediscovering old favorites. He was a member of First Church Birmingham, enjoyed traveling, and appreciated a good restaurant. Whether it was to Charleston, South Carolina or a foreign country, he walked everywhere to immerse himself in what each place had to offer. Along with being a voracious reader and having a palate for good wine and chocolate, Mark was a man full of knowledge you never knew you needed. He was looking forward to gardening, walking the family dog, Maisie, tackling the tall stack of books towering at his bedside, and being a doting granddad upon retiring from UAB in December.

Mark was preceded in death by his father, William Hansen Deierhoi, Jr. He is survived by his wife, Gwendolyn, daughters Rhiannon Deierhoi Reed (Brandon) and Lauren Anne Falin (Stephen), son Tyler Lee William Deierhoi (Katy Ruiz), adored granddaughter Ophelia Jayne Reed, mother Peggy Baker Deierhoi, brother Michael Deierhoi, sister Sara Clark (Jay), three nieces and nephews, and many extended family members. He will also be missed by colleagues, staff, and patients at UAB and the VA Hospital.

A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date when we are all able to gather and celebrate his life together. Memorial donations can be made to the Alabama Kidney Foundation, The Legacy of Hope, and First Church Birmingham.