Hugh Judge Jewett

Jewett, a pioneer in urologic oncology at Johns Hopkins, was born in Baltimore. He earned his A.B. from The Johns Hopkins University in 1926 and his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1930. He completed his internship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and began a residency in urology at the Brady Urological Institute under the direction of Hugh Hampton Young. As part of the residency program, Young first sent Jewett to Pierre, South Dakota for a year of general surgery training with T.F. Riggs, an alumnus of the School of Medicine who had trained with William Halsted. He then sent Jewett to St. Paul, Minnesota for a year of study with F.E.B. Foley, another graduate of the School of Medicine and inventor of the Foley catheter. Returning to the Brady Urological Institute, Jewett completed his residency in 1936. After travels in Europe, Jewett joined the urological practice of J.A. Campbell Colston in 1937 and assumed a part-time faculty appointment at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Rising through the academic ranks, Jewett was promoted to full professor in 1966. As a teacher, Jewett was highly regarded for his meticulously prepared lectures which were frequently enlivened by dramatic flair. His areas of specialization included prostate cancer, and bladder cancer in both men and women. He is best known for his research in staging and grading these three genitourinary cancers. His work has provided the basis for prognosis and evaluation of therapies for cancers of the bladder and prostate.

For over fifty years Jewett made significant contributions to the urological literature. He was highly regarded for his editorial work as well. He founded Urological Survey in 1951 and served as its editor for thirty-seven years. He was also editor of the Journal of Urology and a member of the editorial board of the Quarterly Review of Surgery.

Jewett held a number of leadership roles in national medical societies. He served as president of the American Urological Association; the Mid-Atlantic Section of the American Urological Association; and the Clinical Society of Genitourinary Surgeons. Throughout his career, Jewett received special recognition and awards for his research contributions and dedicated clinical care. Major awards include the Barringer Medal from the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons for pioneering work in bladder cancer; the Valentine Medal of the New York Academy of Medicine; the first Ramon Guiteras Award of the American Urological Association for contribution to urology; the Commendation of Merit Award of the American Urological Association; and the Keyes Medal of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons, which is considered the highest honor in American urology.

Sound recording: Interview with Hugh Jewett. 1976.