In Memoriam: Harry T. Haigler, PhD

Harry T. Haigler, PhD, a former professor of physiology and biophysics, pioneering cell biologist, gifted teacher and former associate dean who helped shape medical education at UC Irvine, died on May 4, 2026, at the age of 75. He is remembered for a distinguished career in research, teaching and academic leadership, as well as for the curiosity, rigor and generosity he brought to generations of students and colleagues.

Raised in North Carolina, Haigler began his scientific journey at North Carolina State University in the Department of Zoology before earning his PhD in biochemistry from Vanderbilt University in 1977, where he trained with Nobel Laureate Stanley Cohen and contributed to foundational work on epidermal growth factor and receptor biology. He then held a postdoctoral appointment at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., advancing the understanding of how cells bind, internalize and respond to growth signals.

Haigler joined the UC Irvine faculty in 1981 and built a long and influential career in the School of Medicine. His research laboratory focused on growth factor signal transduction and annexin calcium-binding proteins. He was among the important early scientists who helped identify and characterize annexin-family membrane-binding proteins and illuminate their role in cellular signaling and membrane dynamics. His work contributed meaningfully to the broader understanding of how cells regulate growth, differentiation and membrane behavior, earning him recognition in leading scientific journals and among colleagues in cell biology and biochemistry.

He was equally admired as a teacher. He served as medical physiology course director and later as associate dean in medical education, where he worked to strengthen the basic science foundation of the medical curriculum and improve the educational experience of future physicians. His teaching was marked by clarity, depth and an ability to make complex physiology come alive. In 2010, he received the National Golden Apple for Teaching Excellence from the American Medical Student Association, a national honor recognizing outstanding medical school professors.

Colleagues and former students remember Haigler not only as a respected scientist and leader, but also as a thoughtful mentor and principled academic whose influence extended well beyond his own laboratory and classroom. He cared deeply about intellectual honesty, careful scholarship, and the formation of students as both scientists and human beings.  He brought to academic life not only a disciplined scientific mind but also a distinctive openness, curiosity and generosity that shaped the way he taught, mentored and led.

Haigler is survived by his wife, Alina; his sons, Evan (Rebecca) and Neil; his sister, Sandra (Gene Hessel); and his granddaughters, Eleanor and Margaret, who brought him joy. He was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Kathleen Haigler.

His professional legacy lives on in the students he taught, the physicians and scientists he helped train, the institution he helped strengthen, and the discoveries to which he devoted his career.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Harry will be remembered for the intelligence, playfulness and openness to experience that shaped both his work and his life. At UC Irvine, he was also the “racquetball king” of the medical school, relishing spirited matches with medical students and faculty alike. Those who knew him well remember not only his accomplishments but also his capacity for presence, reflection and a sense of wonder. He leaves behind a family, a university and a community of colleagues and former students who will carry his memory forward with gratitude and love.

A service was held in his honor on May 5.