Kenneth M. Brinkhous, a white doctor and medical researcher, was born in 1908 in a rural community in Iowa. Influenced by his principal, he began thinking of a career in science during his freshman year of high school. After a brief stint at West Point, where he realized military science was not for him, Brinkhous entered the University of Iowa. He received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1929, followed by an M.D. from the same institution in 1932, training in pathology.
Following his graduation, Brinkhous continued his research at the University of Iowa. It was during this period that he made the first of his major discoveries about hemophilia, its cause. While working with a team researching coagulation, Brinkhous discovered the antihemophilic factor, now called Factor VIII, which is lacking in hemophilia patients.
Following the outbreak of World War II, Brinkhous joined the Army Medical Corps and spent much of the war commanding a medical reference lab in Australia. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. After the war he returned to Iowa, but soon came to UNC.
Between the years 1946 and 1973, Brinkhous was the chair of the UNC Department of Pathology, during which time he worked to develop it into a renowned program. He was known for his philosophy that a program can and should balance high-quality teaching, research, and clinical services.
At UNC Brinkhous assembled a team to continue research into hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders, such as Von Willebrand’s disease. Brinkhous and his team would discover a way to control hemophilia by administering plasma that contains Factor VIII, as well as a way to purify and concentrate Factor VIII, allowing for more effective treatment. Additionally, he and his team developed a thromboplastin test, widely used to measure how long it takes for a patient’s blood to clot. These tests allowed for diagnosis and monitoring of bleeding disorders.
Brinkhous was active in research for more than 60 years, returning almost daily to his lab in UNC’s Brinkhous-Bullitt Building until 1998. He received a multitude of awards over the course of his career, including a 1997 recognition from the National Institutes of Health for the longest continuously running grant award (1947–1997). He passed away on December 11, 2000.