The Paul Brindley Distinguished Professorship and Scholarship Fund in Pathology was established in 1982 by Anne Ammonds Brindley to commemorate her
husband’s nearly 30 years of service at The University of Texas Medical
Branch (UTMB), almost 25 of which were as pathology department chairman.
The Brindley endowment continues to enrich educational and clinical
programs at UTMB by bringing outstanding visiting professors to campus
annually to interact with students, residents, fellows, staff and
associates. Additionally, the endowment recognizes those UTMB pathology
faculty who best carry on the "Brindley tradition" of excellence in
teaching, scholarship and community service.
Dr. Paul Brindley (1896-1954) graduated from UTMB in 1925 and
joined the faculty that same year as a pathology instructor. Four years
later, he introduced the use of photographic slides as substitutes for
wet specimens in most formal lectures at UTMB and was instrumental in
designing the pathology laboratory in the Keiller building to
accommodate such presentations. He was named professor and chairman of
pathology in 1930, a position he held until his death in December 1954.
During his career, he published some 30 professional papers on
aneurysm, malignant disease and Madura foot, a tropical disease. After
World War II at the request of the U.S. Army Surgeon General, Dr.
Brindley visited several Central American countries as an advisor on the
treatment of Madura foot. A pathology consultant for the U.S. Public
Health Service in Galveston, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson
Cancer Center and Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, he was
instrumental in organizing the American Cancer Society of Galveston
County and served as its first president.
He was a diplomate of the American Board of Pathology and a fellow
of the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Clinical
Pathologists and the College of American Pathologists. He was listed in
"Who’s Who" and numerous directories of persons notable in science and
education. He was a member of the American Medical Association (serving
as president of the Galveston County affiliate), the Texas Society of
Pathologists (serving as state president), Alpha Omega Alpha Medical
Honor Society and many other organizations.
The Texas Society of Pathologists honored him as the first
recipient of its Caldwell Memorial Award, a recognition of outstanding
contributions to the field of pathology. The presentation was made
posthumously in 1955.
The Paul Brindley Endowment serves as a vital testament to the
ideas and standards embraced by its namesake. And it provides a constant
source of encouragement to reflect Dr. Brindley’s lifelong commitment
to the medical profession.