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Our professional and academic community lost a great pioneer in the field of pharmacokinetics when Dr Roger Jelliffe, a cardiologist and Professor of Medicine, died 22 June at the age of 91 years. Roger attended University School, graduated from Harvard in 1950, then obtained his M.D. from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He then joined the Department of Medicine at the University of Southern California. There he designed computer software for individualizing drug dosage. He developed optimally precise, individualized drug dosage regimens for patient care involving potentially toxic drugs with narrow therapeutic margins of safety. He was one of the first to integrate physiological parameters into pharmacokinetic data analysis, an approach that today is known as PBPK. He founded the USC Laboratory of Applied Pharmacokinetics in 1973. Over the course of his 60-year career, he authored and collaborated on hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and mentored over 100 visiting scientific scholars from around the world. A recipient of the Research Achievement Award from the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists in 1997, Roger was honored in 2019 by the American College of Clinical Pharmacology with an award established in recognition of his lifetime achievement. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Joyce Evelyn Miller Jelliffe, their four children, and five grandchildren.

Roger was a passionate scientist. Unforgotten are his online exchanges with other pharmacokineticists about the question of whether the elimination rate constant or the total body clearance should be considered primary pharmacokinetic parameters, or his tireless promotion of non-parametric approaches to pharmacokinetic data analysis. He also had a reputation for asking presenters in scientific meetings poignant questions. In his later years, he was an inspiration to all of us for his enthusiasm and continued dedication to science. His mind was sharp and it always was a pleasure to engage in scientific discussions or listen simply to his views on a variety of topics. In recent years, he expressed deep concerns about the decreasing appreciation of science in our general society,

In addition to Roger’s expertise in cardiology and population pharmacokinetics, he was an inspiring teacher. He traveled the globe conducting workshops on individualized therapy. Many professionals visited his laboratory (LAPK) for days or even weeks. There they would find the map of the world, covered with little red pins, where Roger had given a workshop. Often, Roger would pick them up at LAX, and many times, host them in his home. There they would be treated to Joyce Jelliffe’s wonderful cooking, or a visit to ‘The Raymond Restaurant’ in Roger’s home city of Pasadena, CA. Monday night in the laboratory was the gathering of the team, featuring mathematicians, programmers, and literally ‘rocket scientists.’ These meetings generally featured take-out from the local Chinese restaurant, and plentiful discussion. Roger loved music, history, and his golden retrievers. To many, he was “my uncle in the business” who continues to inspire with his curiosity and example of a life well lived.