Kurt Benirschke (May 26, 1924 – September 10, 2018) was a German-American pathologist, geneticist and expert on the placenta and reproduction in humans and myriad mammalian species.
There, he developed a passion for comparative cytogenetics, discovering the reason for the sterility of mules and investigating twinning in armadillos and marmosets.
In 1970, Benirschke moved west to participate in the development of a new medical school of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).
In 1976, Benirschke persuaded the Board of Trustees of the San Diego Zoo to establish a formal research department.
Benirschke led this new research department, which was named the Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species, until 1987 when he became a member of the Zoo's Board of Trustees.
A. Ryder and M. L. Byrd state, "The acknowledgment that the underlying mechanisms of cellular function and organismal development are highly similar among animals provides the impetus for the title of this volume, One Medicine.
From 1997-2000 he was president of the Zoo's Board of Trustees and looked after the "Proyecto Tagua" in Paraguay, a breeding facility of the newly discovered species of peccary.
One son, Dr. Stephen Benirschke, lives in Seattle and is a foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon best known for his specialty with the calcaneus fracture surgery.