After holding his last clinic for the last time, Michael Voigt, MD, clinical professor in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, joined family and friends at the Vine in Coralville to celebrate. For nearly 26 years, Voigt established himself as an expert in a variety of liver-related concerns, serving as a critical member of the liver transplant team at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, among many other responsibilities.
Many other members of the transplant team and his division arrived over the course of the evening to praise Voigt’s career successes and to wish him well before he and recently retired pathologist Patricia Kirby, MBBCh, relocate to Austin, Texas.
As attendees snacked on appetizers and drinks, a few surprise appearances also arrived to offer their thanks for Voigt’s impact on their lives. Former fellows and even one former transplant patient and his wife traveled from more than an hour away to be there. “(Voigt) saved my life,” he said. “I told him that but he just said, ‘Aw, it takes a team.’ But I know what he did.”
A steady stream of guests lined up for one last photograph with their long-time friend and colleague. All of them made it clear that Voigt would be deeply missed.
