GEORGETOWN, Wash.—George E. Schreiner, 89, a Georgetown University medical school nephrologist who was a leading figure in the study of kidney disease and dialysis, died April 12 at Sunrise assisted living in Reston. He had Alzheimer’s disease.

The death was confirmed by his son William Schreiner.

Schreiner served on the Georgetown faculty from 1951 to 1987, when he was named a distinguished professor of medicine. He was a top clinical researcher in the technique of hemodialysis, employing an artificial kidney, and showing its effectiveness in prolonging the lives of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

In the 1960s, Schreiner helped start a Georgetown fellowship program for nephrologists. In the 1970s, he was a key player in successful efforts to secure federal payments for kidney dialysis and organ transplants.

Schreiner wrote for professional journals and book chapters, and he was a past president of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN), the International Society of Nephrology, the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). He received many professional honors.

While leading the NKF  in the early 1970s, Schreiner helped orchestrate a national campaign to encourage adults to carry a Uniform Donor Card that allowed physicians to use the holder’s organs for transplantation or other medical purposes. The card followed passage of the Anatomical Gift Act of 1968.

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