Community mourns death of Life Span Institute researcher Morris Faiman

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas community is mourning Morris “Morrie” Faiman, longtime faculty member, who died April 23. He was 91.

Faiman joined KU’s Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology in 1965, retiring as professor emeritus from the School of Pharmacy in 2007. He then worked as a senior research assistant in the Higuchi Biosciences Center, then as a research professor in the Bureau of Child Research, part of the Life Span Institute, until his death. Throughout his KU career, he also held courtesy appointments as a professor in biological sciences and most recently in chemistry from 2006 to 2011.

He was a leader in the fields of pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmacology. His research programs focused on the development of drugs to treat alcohol abuse and drug addiction, and he held several patents related to his research. He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

He served on many committees, including the board of directors of DCCCA and the National Institutes of Health. 

Faiman will be missed by his colleagues, said John Colombo, director of the Life Span Institute.

“Morrie had a long history here at KU, and we at the Life Span Institute were privileged to have him spend the last chapter of his career here with us,” Colombo said. “He was a gentle, thoughtful and considerate colleague, and he cared deeply about the scientific problems that he worked on. Indeed, he worked well beyond the point that most scientists hang up their lab coats as he was determined to keep up the search for solutions to the problems around addiction and addictive behavior.”

A memorial service will be 10 a.m. May 1 at Temple Beth Torah, Overland Park.