E. Rolland "Rollie" Dickson, M.D., a former member of Mayo Clinic's Board of Trustees, a physician in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and the founding medical director of Mayo Clinic's Liver Transplant Program, passed away on July 21.

“Dr. Dickson shaped a better future for countless people and embodied Mayo Clinic's values through his commitment to helping others, especially his patients, colleagues, and innumerable friends," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D. ”He will be remembered for his dedication, vision, generous spirit, and tireless enthusiasm."

E. Rolland "Rollie" Dickson was born June 10, 1933, in Hackensack, New Jersey. He later moved to Cleveland, where he graduated from Rocky River High School and excelled as a multisport athlete. After high school, he studied premedicine at Ohio Wesleyan University, where he was senior class president, sang in the men's glee club and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Dr. Dickson completed his medical degree at Ohio State University in 1959. While in medical school, he served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps.

After medical school, he moved his family to Rochester, Minnesota. He entered a fellowship with Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education in 1960 and completed a master’s in medicine at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Dickson joined Mayo Clinic as a physician consultant in Gastroenterology and Hepatology in 1964.

Champion for Mayo Clinic’s Liver Transplant Program

What was supposed to be just a year in Rochester turned into a career spanning 39 years and international recognition as an expert on end-stage liver disease and transplantation.

In 1984, along with his hepatology colleagues Nick LaRusso, M.D., and Russell Wiesner, M.D., emeritus staff member, Dr. Dickson recognized the need for Mayo Clinic to have a liver transplant program. They recruited Ruud Krom, M.D., Ph.D., emeritus staff member, who was already running a successful program in the Netherlands. Together, Drs. Dickson and Krom were the first medical and surgical directors for Mayo Clinic's Liver Transplant Program, and they established the foundation of collaboration and multidisciplinary care that has propelled Mayo Clinic's transplant program to national leader.

"It is with great sadness that we recognize the passing of Dr. Dickson, who was a giant in the field of hepatology and made seminal contributions in advancing the field of cholestatic liver disease," Julie Heimbach, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Transplant Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, says.

Pioneer of the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score

Dr. Dickson's research was pivotal in defining key outcomes and the selection process for patients with complex liver disease who eventually received transplants. His research was continually funded by the National Institutes of Health from the 1970s until his retirement.

The data acquired through his research activities were the basis for the Model for End-stage Liver Disease score used worldwide today for prioritizing patients awaiting transplantation.

"We are saddened by the passing of Dr. Dickson," says C. Burcin Taner, M.D., chair of Mayo Clinic's Department of Transplantation. "He was a towering figure in establishing modern hepatology practice. His significant contributions in patient care, research and education will be remembered by patients, colleagues and trainees for many years to come."

Invested in giving back to colleagues, mentees and students

Dr. Dickson was continually interested in furthering the careers of colleagues, students and mentees. His large research databases supported several research careers for members of his team and mentees.

James Garrity, M.D., emeritus consultant in the Department of Ophthalmology, was one of those mentees and served with Dr. Dickson on the International Activities Committee. He says Dr. Dickson was a favorite among patients.

"He was a legend. We shared many patients over the years, and every patient just sang his praises," Dr. Garrity says. 

Dedicated to supporting future clinicians and Mayo Clinic's ongoing mission

Dr. Heimbach says Dr. Dickson wanted to sustain the success of Mayo Clinic's Transplant Program. After his retirement, he established the Dickson Scholar in Transplantation Award to support early-career clinician-scientists engaged in innovative research related to transplantation. He also established the E. Rolland Dickson Endowed Scholarship to provide tuition support for premedical and prescience professionals at Ohio Wesleyan University.

"Dr. Dickson's legacy lives on through the work of so many colleagues that he mentored and supported," Dr. Heimbach says.

Dr. Dickson served on Mayo Clinic's Board of Trustees from 1999 to 2003, was the Emeritus Mary Lowell Leary Professor of Medicine, and led Development for over a decade, inspiring many to support Mayo Clinic's enduring mission.

"Dr. Dickson was instrumental in shaping the Department of Development. He nurtured staff, laid the foundation for our work and engaged benefactors to support the future of healthcare," says Evanthia Galanis, M.D., executive dean of Development for Mayo Clinic. "We are grateful for all the ways he expressed generosity — as a physician, leader and benefactor to Mayo Clinic." 

During his retirement years, Dr. Dickson served on several company boards and was honored with many awards for his contributions to improving healthcare for patients. His honors include the Fiterman Foundation Clinical Research Award and Distinguished Clinical Investigator Award (Liver Disease and Nutrition) for Outstanding Research in Hepatobiliary Disease, American Gastroenterological Association; the Career Achievement Award from Mayo Clinic Development; the Distinguished Alumni Award, Mayo Clinic; Department of Medicine Research Achievement Award, Mayo Clinic; and Distinguished Alumni, Ohio Wesleyan University.

The family has planned a private memorial service and shared an obituary.

"Dr. Dickson will always be revered for his monumental contributions to the field of organ transplantation," says Bashar Aqel, M.D., chair of the Mayo Clinic Transplant Center at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. "Through his groundbreaking achievements, pioneering work and unwavering dedication to patient-centered care, thousands of lives have been saved. Dr. Dickson was a true testament to Mayo's values, and his legacy will forever be a source of inspiration."

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