On November 12, 2013, physicians, staff, and patients at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic mourned the loss of their founder, doctor, and friend, Mavis P. Kelsey, MD, who passed away at the age of 101.

Colleagues and doctors worldwide remember Dr. Kelsey as a medical pioneer who brought the collaborative healthcare model to the Houston area more than 70 years ago when he founded Kelsey-Seybold Clinic.

Medical pioneer, gifted physician, visionary leader, World War II veteran, philanthropist, author, historian, art collector, and beloved father and grandfather – these are just a few of the titles held by Dr. Mavis Kelsey during his life.

Medical Pioneer

A fifth-generation Texan, Dr. Kelsey returned from practicing medicine at the Mayo Clinic to start his own clinic in the budding Texas Medical Center. In 1949, he established Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, a premier medical group that today provides comprehensive medical care in a patient-centered environment. The Kelsey-Seybold model of care brings primary care physicians together with specialists and medical technology – all in one location – to deliver high quality, coordinated care.

Dr. Kelsey’s impact on Houston reaches well beyond his medical practice. He was the first endocrinologist recruited by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, consulting as an expert on thyroid cancer cases. He also administered the first dose of radioiodine to a patient in Houston in 1949.

He was a revered Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center and Professor Emeritus at Baylor College of Medicine in the Texas Medical Center. Dr. Kelsey served two terms as acting Dean of the Post-Graduate School of Medicine of The University of Texas. In 1956, his brother, Dr. John Kelsey, joined him in founding the Kelsey Research Foundation.