Paul di Sant’Agnese

Paul di Sant’Agnese (1914–2005 ) was the founder of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and of Cystic Fibrosis Care in the United States. He was a physician, researcher and one of the first clinicians who devoted his life to understanding and conquering cystic fibrosis through his work at the Columbia University Medical Center, New York City.

During the heat wave of 1949, he was the first to recognize CF babies were at special risk for heat prostration. He thus discovered that sweat was abnormal in CF. This led to the development of the sweat test, which is a major way cystic fibrosis can be diagnosed. This work not only resulted in the development of the CF sweat test—which, today, remains the cornerstone of the diagnosis of the disease—but also opened up areas of research that ultimately helped to identify the basic defect in CF.