James Ward West (March 29, 1914 – July 24, 2012) was an American physician, psychiatrist, surgeon, and pioneer in the fields of organ transplantation and addiction treatment.
[1] West was a member of the surgical team, led by Richard Lawler, who carried out the world's first kidney transplant in 1950 at the Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, Illinois.
[1] A recovering alcoholic, West successfully remained sober for 54 years, from the late 1950s until his death in 2012.
[3] He gave up surgery after forty years to specialize and study psychiatry, specifically focusing on substance abuse and related issues.
[3] West mandated that physicians served as full members of the center's treatment teams.
James West died at his home in Palm Desert, California, on July 24, 2012, at the age of 98.