EDWARD J. MCGUIRE

Edward J. McGuire, M.D., passed away peacefully at home on February 16, 2021, at 81 years of age. A world-renowned surgeon who touched innumerable lives, he understood clinical problems from the complexity of the science behind them to the practical needs of individuals. Ed was a founder of a branch of urology, now described as neurourology and female pelvic medicine/reconstruction.

Ed was born in East Lansing, Michigan, to Tom (professor of romance languages at Michigan State University) and Helen McGuire (later a social worker for Catholic Social Services) where they raised Ed and six siblings.

Loyola University in New Orleans and Wayne State University Medical School in Detroit prepared Ed for an internship at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY. Drafted in 1966, he served as U.S. Army battalion surgeon in Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star with Two Oak Leaf Clusters and Valor Device and Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Valor Device, later overseeing Fort Bragg’s Emergency Room.

Ed trained under Professors Bernard Lytton at Yale and John Blandy in the Royal London Hospital. Joining Yale’s urology faculty in 1972, Ed generated innovations in patient care, novel concepts, and new terminology that entered medical dictionaries. His methods of video-urodynamic evaluation of neurogenic bladder and urethral dysfunction, plus his linkage of bladder pressures to upper urinary tract deterioration and pioneering surgical techniques improved patient outcomes.

The University of Michigan (UM) enticed Ed in 1983 as Head of Urology where he expanded the faculty and subspecialty expertise, bringing a surge of new patients to Ann Arbor. Trainees and colleagues came to Ann Arbor from more than a dozen nations to work with Ed, who was also a popular invited visiting professor around the world.

In 1992 Ed left Michigan for the University of Texas in Houston, returning to Ann Arbor in 1999, bringing his skills and expertise back to UM trainees and patients, especially the veterans at the VA. His honors included the American Urological Association Gold Cystoscope, Hugh Hampton Young, and Lifetime Achievement Awards. In 2007 he became Reed M. Nesbit Professor at UM, retiring in 2013 as Professor Emeritus, when an endowed chair was established in his name.

A founding member and president of the Urodynamics Society, associate editor for Journal of Urology, Journal of Pelvic Surgery, and Journal of Neurourology and Urodynamics, Ed was consultant for the Veterans Administration in Washington, DC on spinal cord injuries.

Ed related well to trainees and patients. Students, residents, and fellows fondly remember rounding with him in hospitals - conversations peppered with Vietnam memories, basic science insights, and practical advice. Ed led many trainees on surgical missions to Haiti. He believed in diversity and inclusion in the medical workforce, bringing many women into urology, some now leaders across the globe. Ed’s broad sense of humanity and decency expanded throughout his life.

An avid reader, he also enjoyed hunting, fishing, and sharing the lake house with family and friends. In later years he and his wife Susan loved travel and playing golf.

Ed is survived by wife Susan, daughters Colleen Reed (Ron), Megan Clark (Tom), Bridget Meretta (Mike), stepchildren Kelly Guy (Billy), David Shilakes (Michelle), Christopher Shilakes, grandchildren Allison, Josephine, Eloise, Joseph, Casey, Tessa, Dylan, Hannah, Mark, and Elliott, and his beloved dog Joey. He is also survived by all six siblings Tom McGuire (Kathy), Kathie Theado (Dick), Margaret Catanese (Tony), Matt McGuire (Sharon), Dennis McGuire (Kay), Jerry McGuire, and many nieces and nephews. A tribute to Dr. Edward J. McGuire will be planned at a future date with final interment at Arlington National Cemetery.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.