In Memoriam
Remembering Roswell Park Leader Thomas B. Tomasi, Jr, MD, PhD
The ASCO Post Staff
Thomas B. Tomasi, Jr, MD, PhD, who led Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center as President and Chief Executive Officer from 1986 to 1996, died on March 23 at age 97. His tenure marked a renaissance at Roswell Park that elevated it to a place among the nation’s top cancer centers. The pinnacle o...
Former UNMC Cancer Center Director, Kenneth H. Cowan, MD, PhD, Dies at 77
The ASCO Post Staff
Kenneth H. Cowan, MD, PhD, served for 24 years as Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), now called the Nebraska Medicine Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha. Dr. Cowan died on December 15, 2024, at...
Felix Feng, MD, Leader in Genitourinary Cancer, Dies at Age 48
The ASCO Post Staff
NRG Oncology, the RTOG Foundation, and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), announced the death of Felix Feng, MD, from cancer at age 48 on December 10, 2024. Dr. Feng was a George and Judy Marcus Distinguished Professor; Professor of Radiation Oncology, Urology and Medicine; Vice Ch...
Remembering a Pioneer in Melanoma and Immunotherapy: Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, FASCO
Julia Cipriano, MS
Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, FASCO, an internationally recognized pioneer in melanoma and cancer immunotherapy, died on August 19, 2024, according to an announcement from the Melanoma Research Foundation. He most recently served as Deputy Director of the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at New...
In Remembrance of My Friend, Lyn Denny, MD, PhD: I Will Never Forget Her
Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, MD, FACP, as told to Jo Cavallo
I first met Lyn Denny, MD, PhD, in Ghana, in 2004, when she became the Secretary Treasurer of AORTIC and brought the organization back to life. We’ve been friends ever since. I equate Lyn’s unwavering dedication to bringing health equity to women in Africa to Nelson Mandela’s fight for social justi...
Gynecologic Oncologist Lynette Ann Denny, MD, PhD, Dies at Age 66
The global oncology and public health communities are mourning the death of Lynette Ann Denny, MD, PhD, a world-renowned gynecologic oncologist and a leading researcher in the prevention of cervical cancer in low-resource settings. Dr. Denny died on June 9, 2024, in Cape Town, South Africa, of metas...
V. Craig Jordan, PhD, a Founding Father of Targeted Therapy in Cancer, Dies at Age 76
Craig Jordan, CMG, OBE, PhD, DSc, FMedSci, a pioneering scientist whose innovative work in breast cancer research has saved countless lives and will continue to impact the field for generations to come, died on June 9, according to a news release from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Cent...
ASCO Remembers Humanitarian and Health Equity Champion Edith P. Mitchell, MD
The ASCO Post Staff
ASCO is deeply saddened by the death of oncology luminary, health equity champion, and ASCO Humanitarian Award honoree Edith P. Mitchell, MD, MACP, FCCP, FRCP (London), on January 21, 2024. At the time of her passing, Dr. Mitchell was Director of the Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities, Professo...
Remembering Cancer Prevention and Health Equity Champion Worta J. McCaskill-Stevens, MD, MS
The ASCO Post Staff
ASCO and the oncology community are deeply saddened by the death of medical oncologist Worta J. McCaskill-Stevens, MD, MS, on November 15, 2023. Dr. McCaskill-Stevens served as Chief of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology and Prevention Trials Research Group and Director of the NC...
ASCO Remembers Chemotherapy Pioneer and Karnofsky Award Recipient Irwin H. Krakoff, MD
The ASCO Post Staff
ASCO is saddened by the passing of Irwin H. Krakoff, MD, on August 9, 2023, at the age of 100. He is remembered as one of the founding fathers of modern chemotherapy. Dr. Krakoff was born on July 20, 1923, in Columbus, Ohio. He attended The Ohio State University, earning his bachelor’s degree in 19...
Susan M. Love, MD, MBA, Breast Cancer Surgeon, Researcher, and Advocate
Susan M. Love, MD, MBA, a renowned surgeon, author, researcher, and patient advocate who dedicated her life’s work to breast cancer care, died on July 2, 2023, at her home in Los Angeles. The cause of death was recurrent leukemia. She was 75. Born in Long Branch, New Jersey, on February 9, 1948, Dr...
ASCO Remembers Former Board of Directors Member and Radiation Oncologist A. William Blackstock, Jr, MD, FASCO
The ASCO Post Staff
ASCO is deeply saddened by the death of A. William Blackstock, Jr, MD, FASCO, who served on the Society’s Board of Directors from 2018 to 2022. Dr. Blackstock passed away on June 18, 2023, from complications of prostate cancer. He was 60 years old. “We mourn the passing of a friend and colleague wh...
Mourned and Missed
The ASCO Post Staff
The respected members of the oncology community listed here are among some of those who passed away in 2022–2023. The ASCO Post remembers them, their lives, and their contributions to cancer research and treatment. Robert J. Gillies, PhD Moffitt Cancer Center and the global research community lo...
Remembering Breast Cancer Pioneer Isaac Craig Henderson, MD
Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FACP, FASCO
Isaac Craig Henderson, MD, passed away at the age of 81 at his home in San Francisco on December 26, 2022, after a brief illness. Dr. Henderson was an internationally known medical oncologist who specialized in breast cancer, beginning his career at Harvard’s then-designated Sidney Farber Cancer Ins...
Putting the Patient at the Center: The Career of Jeffery Ward, MD, FASCO
AARON TALLENT
Editor’s Note: ASCO was deeply saddened by the news that Dr. Jeff Ward passed away on November 3, 2022. In an interview with Dr. Ward this past summer, published in ASCO Connection (August 30, 2022), ASCO recognized Dr. Ward’s commitment to exceptional patient care and public advocacy. An abbreviate...
Breast Cancer Advocate and Chief of Surgical Oncology at Howard University, Lori Wilson, MD, FACS, Dies
Ronald Piana
Lori Wilson, MD, FACS, was the first woman to hold the surgical oncology division chief position at Howard University Hospital and the first woman to be promoted to full professor in surgery at Howard University College of Medicine. Known as a fierce advocate for patients with cancer in underserved ...
Leader in Genitourinary Oncology, Nicholas J. Vogelzang, MD, FACP, FASCO, Dies at 72
Ronald Piana
Nicholas J. Vogelzang, MD, FACP, FASCO, an expert in the treatment of patients with renal cell carcinoma, died on September 20, 2022. Dr. Vogelzang was 72 years old. Son of a Preacher Dr. Vogelzang was born on December 13, 1949, in Holland, Michigan, the oldest of seven children, in a close-knit f...
Saul A. Rosenberg, MD, FASCO, a Pioneer in the Field of Lymphoma, Dies at 95
Ronald Piana
For anacademic oncologist, there is no greater reward than to be part of the clinical research that turns a fatal cancer into a highly treatable disease. Saul A. Rosenberg, MD, FASCO, was one such researcher who pioneered advances in the diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of lymphoma, includi...
Moffitt Mourns the Loss of Research Giant Robert J. Gillies, PhD
Kim Polacek, APR, CPRC
Moffitt Cancer Center and the global research community have lost a great leader, scientist, and collaborator. Robert J. Gillies, PhD, died on June 7 after an extended illness. He was 69 years old. His recruitment in 2008 elevated Moffitt’s scientific stature, and his vision and work over the past 1...
Mourned and Missed
The ASCO Post Staff
The respected members of the oncology community listed here passed away in 2021–2022. The ASCO Post remembers them, their lives, and their contributions to cancer research and treatment. Joseph R. Bertino, MD Dr. Bertino garnered many honors for his scientific contributions leading to curative tre...
Leader in the Field of Integrative Oncology, Barrie Cassileth, PhD, Dies at 83
In 1999, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) President Paul Marks, MD, recruited Barrie Cassileth, PhD, to establish an Integrative Medicine Service that “provided evidence-based complementary therapies that improve patients’ quality of life by alleviating physical and emotional symptoms ...
Childhood Leukemia Pioneer, Donald P. Pinkel, MD, Dies at 95
When St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was opened in 1962, childhood blood cancer, especially acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), had an exceptionally grim prognosis. However, years of unflagging clinical research led by Donald P. Pinkel, MD, the pediatrician who developed an aggressive leukemia...
Humanitarian Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, Dies at 62
"One of the great advocates for the poorest and sickest of our planet.” —Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu “Our mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. By establishing long-term relationships with sister organizations...
Hematologist and Bone Marrow Transplant Pioneer, Tahir Shamsi, MBBS, MRCPath, FRCPath, Dies at 59
Ronald Piana
Although bone marrow transplantation is routinely employed in the United States and other wealthy nations, this costly life-saving procedure has struggled to gain a foothold in many low- to moderate-income countries, where resources are triaged to make the best use of precious health-care funding....
Cancer Biologist Beatrice Mintz, PhD, FAACR, Dies at 100
The ASCO Post Staff
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) issued the following statement regarding the passing of Beatrice Mintz, PhD, FAACR, a trailblazing pioneer in multiple fields of cancer biology, who died January 3, 2022, at the age of 100. Born on January 24, 1921, in New York, New York, Dr. Mint...
David Morse Livingston, MD, Scientist and Esteemed Mentor, Dies at 80
The ASCO Post Staff
David Morse Livingston, MD, formerly the Charles A. Dana Chair in Human Cancer Genetics at Dana-Farber and the Emil Frei III Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, died unexpectedly on October 17, 2021. He was Deputy Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) ...
Cancer Researcher and Drug Developer, Joseph R. Bertino, MD, Dies at 91
Ronald Piana
Over the arc of his notable career, Joseph R. Bertino, MD, garnered many honors for his scientific contributions leading to curative treatments for leukemia and lymphoma, such as ASCO’s David A. Karnofsky Award. Yet his legacy was perhaps most prominently punctuated by the multitude of patients wi...
AML Pioneer and ‘Gentle Soul,’ Elihu H. Estey, MD, Dies at 75
Ronald Piana
“A lot of times, younger bright physicians are afraid to say what they really think, out of fear of challenging the dogma. One of the things I do when mentoring is to ask why we are doing a particular therapy or intervention. I tell my mentees not to let the data interfere with your knowledge,” said...
Clayton Dunklin Pruett, Business Professional, ASCO Member, Dies at Age 86
Ronald Piana
The delivery of high-quality cancer care relies on a vast network of dedicated experts, some of whom work assiduously behind the scenes, building and modernizing the very architecture on which the cancer community operates. One such person was Clayton Dunklin Pruett, an engineer by training, who fol...
Franco M. Muggia, MD, Internationally Regarded Chemotherapy Pioneer, Dies at 85
Ronald Piana
Today’s life-saving chemotherapeutics originated from the vision and indefatigable work of pioneers in the field whose unwavering vision challenged the status quo. One such pioneer was Franco M. Muggia, MD, who, in a career lasting more than 50 years, had a hand in the development of some of the ...
UNMC Professor Emeritus James Edney, MD, Dies Tragically at 73
The ASCO Post Staff
The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha announced news of the death of James Edney, MD, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Surgery. Dr. Edney died on August 7 in a small plane crash in Minnesota. A Caring Physian and Educator UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, said in a st...
Leland Chung, PhD, Distinguished Mentor and Urologic Oncology Research Scientist, Dies at 80
The ASCO Post Staff
Talk to anyone who knew Leland Chung, PhD, and you’ll hear the same descriptions of the famed scientist: warm, humble, gracious, brilliant, innovative. Dr. Chung, who served as Director of the Urologic Oncology Research Program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles for 12 years and was Professor in ...
Oncology Community Mourns the Loss of Investigator Angelo Di Leo, MD, PhD
The ASCO Post Staff
Oncologist Angelo Di Leo, MD, PhD, recently died after a long struggle with neurodegenerative disease. He was 58 years old. Dr. Di Leo was devoted to breast cancer research for more than 25 years. He first trained with Gianni Bonadonna, MD, in Milan, followed by postdoctoral research at Jules Borde...
Gauri Varadhachary, MD, Compassionate Leader, Caring and Brilliant Physician, Dies at 52
The ASCO Post Staff
Gauri Varadhachary, MD, Clinical Professor in Gastrointestinal (GI) Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, died on June 5, 2021. She was 52. A member of the MD Anderson community for nearly 20 years, Dr. Varadhachary was remembered for her dedication to her patients,...
Innovator in Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Francisco Marty, MD, Dies at 53
The ASCO Post Staff
The Brigham and Women’s hospital community mourns the loss of Francisco Marty, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases, who died April 8, 2021, after a tragic accident while hiking in the Dominican Republic. He was 53. A member of the Brigham community for more than 20 years, Dr. Marty is rememb...
Medical Oncologist Gouri Shankar Bhattacharyya, MD, FRCP, Dies of COVID-19–Related Complications
The members of the oncology community who spend time and energy addressing the growing global cancer burden in low- and middle-income countries have a kind of selfless dedication beyond the scope of the profession itself. One such medical oncologist was Gouri Shankar Bhattacharyya, MD, FRCP, a value...
Mourned and Missed
The ASCO Post Staff
The respected members of the oncology community who are listed below passed away in 2020–2021. The ASCO Post remembers them, their lives, and their contributions to cancer research and treatment. John Bartlett, MD Dr. Bartlett, a visionary physician-scientist and pioneer in human immunodeficienc...
Towering Figure in Cancer Drug Development, José Baselga, MD, PhD, FASCO, Dies at Age 61
José Baselga, MD, PhD, FASCO, a global innovator in novel cancer therapeutics, led research efforts in his native country of Spain and in the United States, most notably as Physician-in-Chief at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). “My moment of recognition as an oncologist came early, wh...
Gene Therapy Pioneer Arthur W. Nienhuis, MD, Dies at 79
The ASCO Post Staff
Gene therapy pioneer Arthur W. Nienhuis, MD, the fourth Director of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, died on February 3 at age 79. Under his leadership, the hospital grew exponentially in both size and scientific stature. “At St. Jude, the nature of our work requires a bold, ambitious approa...
Oncology Community Mourns the Death of Chemotherapy Pioneer Emil J Freireich, MD, FASCO
Jo Cavallo
Legendary oncologist Emil J Freireich, MD, FASCO, died from COVID-19 on February 1, 2021, at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where he had worked for 50 years. He was 93. During a career that spanned more than 6 decades, Dr. Freireich was relentless in pursuing cures fo...
Conversations With the Pioneers of Oncology: Emil J Freireich, MD, FASCO
Jo Cavallo
To hear an interview with Dr. Freireich by Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FASCO, of the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and Past President of ASCO, visit the Journal of Clinical Oncology’s podcast, Cancer Stories, wherever you get your podcasts. In this episode, the Cancer Stories podcast reflects...
Joseph V. Simone, MD, Visionary Pediatric Oncologist and ‘Quintessential Mentor,’ Dies at 85
Ronald Piana
When Joseph V. Simone, MD, was 6 years old, he had his first experience with the death of a child. His 9-month-old brother became sick with the croup and was taken to the nearby children’s hospital, where he died a few days later, leaving Dr. Simone and his family devastated. Caring for sick childre...
Gert Brieger, MD, MPH, PhD, Historian of Medicine and Public Health, Dies at 89
The ASCO Post Staff
Gert Brieger, MD, MPH, PhD, former Director of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Institute of the History of Medicine, died on January 13, 2021, due to heart failure. He was 89. Dr. Brieger is credited with transforming the department from a research center with occasional students to ...
John Bartlett, MD, Pioneer in Infectious Diseases Research and Treatment, Dies at 83
The ASCO Post Staff
John Bartlett, MD, a visionary physician-scientist and pioneer in HIV/AIDS study and treatment who built the infectious diseases division at The Johns Hopkins, died on January 19, 2021, in New York. He was 83 years old. “Over his long and illustrious career, John Bartlett epitomized the best of Joh...
Professor Gordon McVie, International Cancer Researcher and Patient Advocate, Dies at 76
Ronald Piana
An imposing painting of sailing ships graced the wall behind the desk in the office of Professor Gordon McVie, BSc (Hons), MBChB, MD, FRCP, FRCPEd, FRCPS (Glas), FMedSci, DSc. It was a gift from one of his patients with cancer, a long-term survivor who said the painting reminded her of him, walking ...
Tabaré Vázquez, Former President of Uruguay, Oncologist, and Human Rights Activist, Dies at 80
Ronald Piana
In 2006, President of Uruguay Dr. Tabaré Vázquez, a radiation oncologist by profession, enacted comprehensive antismoking legislation, eventually leading Uruguay to become the first country in Latin America to prohibit smoking in enclosed public spaces. His bold action drew the ire of international ...
Remembering Patrick H. Beauregard: ‘Selfless in His Efforts to Raise Awareness’ of Colorectal Cancer in Young Adults
The editors of The ASCO Post are sad to report the death of Patrick H. Beauregard on September 6, 2020. The cause was colorectal cancer. Diagnosed with stage IV disease in 2017 at the age of 29, Mr. Beauregard dedicated the last 3 years of his life to raising awareness of colorectal cancer in young...
Isabelle Tabah-Fisch, MD, Drug Researcher, Industry Executive, Dies at 64
The ASCO Post Staff
Isabelle Tabah-Fisch, MD, a medical oncologist in Paris who contributed greatly to drug development, died August 28, 2020, at age 64. An announcement about Dr. Tabah-Fisch’s death was made by GamaMabs, where she served as Chief Medical Officer until her retirement in March 2020. Under her leadersh...
Joan H. Marks, Pioneer in Genetic Counseling, Dies at 91
The ASCO Post Staff
Joan H. (Rosen) Marks, a pioneer in genetic counseling, died on September 14, 2020. She was 91. Ms. Marks received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, in 2019, in recognition of her contributions and leadership to the College and to society, the ...
Roger H. Herzig, MD, Pioneer in the Treatment of Leukemia, Dies at Age 74
Ronald Piana
More than 5 decades ago, the concept of bone marrow transplantation to treat humans with leukemia was met with varying degrees of skepticism and countless clinical failures. Yet, over those same decades, bone marrow transplantation was transformed from an insurmountable therapeutic option used in a ...
