author
Edward J. (Edward Jerald) Van Liere
1895–1979
A physician, physiologist, and medical educator, he helped build modern medical training at West Virginia University and wrote widely on science, medicine, and even Sherlock Holmes. His career joined research, teaching, and institution-building in a way that left a long mark on American medical education.
1 Audiobook
A doctor enjoys Sherlock Holmes
by Edward J. (Edward Jerald) Van Liere
About the author
Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Edward J. Van Liere became a physician-scientist with advanced training that led to a long career in physiology and medicine. He earned degrees including an M.D. from Harvard Medical School and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, and he went on to become known for both research and academic leadership.
At West Virginia University, he served for more than fifty years as a professor and administrator and became the first dean of the School of Medicine. He is often credited with helping transform the medical program into a full four-year accredited school, and later generations remembered him as a central figure in the growth of the WVU Medical Center.
Van Liere also wrote extensively. His work ranged from physiology and medical essays to university history, including One Hundred Years of Physiology at West Virginia University, 1869–1969. He also showed a lighter literary side in A Doctor Enjoys Sherlock Holmes, revealing a writer who could move comfortably between science and curiosity-driven reading.