Chien Liu, MD, Award

About Dr. Liu

Dr. Chien Liu received his medical degree in Beijing, China, in 1947. He came to the United States in 1946 for an internship at the Illinois Masonic Hospital in Chicago. He went on to complete an infectious diseases fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore before spending six years on the research faculty at Harvard Medical School.

In 1958, Dr. Liu was recruited to the University of Kansas and embarked upon a long, distinguished career here. He is an internationally known virologist and widely recognized as one of the physician scientists who helped discover the etiology of primary atypical or "walking" pneumonia, publishing the first of three papers on the subject in 1955. He has written more than 150 publications and been awarded multiple research grants — notably, he received NIH career awards for 33 years, one of the longest time periods in NIH history. A consummate clinician, he also has influenced thousands of students, hundreds of residents and scores of fellows over the course of his teaching career.

Dr. Liu retired from KU in 1991. In 1996, at the age of 75, he was recognized as a Master by the ACP, a title bestowed only on highly accomplished members with personal character, eminence in practice or medical research, and who are distinguished by the excellence and significance of their contributions to the field of medicine. Dr. Liu is also a two-time winner of the Laureate Award from the ACP's Kansas chapter. The award honors members who have demonstrated - by their example and conduct - an abiding commitment to excellence in medical care, education, research and service to their community and the ACP.

Now more than 90 years of age, Dr. Liu continues his quest to stay current on medical and scientific issues. He reads the latest literature, makes PowerPoint slides from good articles and attends weekly division journal club presentations. The School of Medicine in general — and our division in particular — owe a great debt to Dr. Liu. We strive to honor his example by being equally dedicated to teaching the next generation of physicians, disseminating the results of our scientific inquiry and encouraging our peers and students to do the same.

Chien Liu, MD Award Recipients