Andrew M. Munster, director of the Baltimore Regional Burn Center at Bayview Medical Center from 1976 to 2000 and professor of surgery and plastic surgery at the School of Medicine, died at Bayview on Sept. 27 of liver cancer. He was 67.

"We all remember the burn center as being Dr. Munster's center," Ronald R. Peterson, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System, told the Baltimore Sun. "The two are inextricably linked in our minds. His death is quite a loss."

Munster began his career in Australia, where he received his M.D. from the University of Sydney Medical School in 1959. His career took him from England to Massachusetts to Maryland, with many points in between. From 1968 to 1971, Munster served as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and was chief of the Trauma Study Branch in the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research. Before coming to Baltimore in 1976, he was chief of surgery at the Charleston County Hospital in South Carolina. In 1992, he was a Fulbright Scholar.

Munster's contribution to burn care is unprecedented, especially in the area of burn infection research and wound care. He authored more than 200 papers and book chapters as well as five books, including the most recent Severe Burns: A Family Guide to Medical and Emotional Recovery.

During his prestigious career, Munster was active in dozens of professional societies, including the American Burn Association, which he served as president in 1995, and the Transplant Resource Center of Maryland, where he was director of the Tissue Bank in 2003. He also served on nearly 20 state, national and international committees, presented extensively and received many grant awards.

Munster is survived by his wife, Joy; mother, Marianne; daughters Andrea Yoch, Tara Girch and Alexandra Munster; grandchildren Ryan and Ben Yoch; and sister-in-law Terrie O'Sullivan.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Andrew M. Munster, M.D., Visiting Lecture Fund and should be sent to the attention of Boi Carpenter-Mellady, Fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine, 1 Charles Center, 100 N. Charles St., Suite 400, Baltimore, MD 21210. Checks should be made payable to The Johns Hopkins University with "Andrew M. Munster, M.D., Visiting Lecture Fund" noted in the memo portion of the check.

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