Abstract
Lee Wattenberg, MD, known as the “father of chemoprevention,” died on December 9, 2014 at the age of 92. Dr. Wattenberg was a longtime faculty member at the University of Minnesota, where he served for more than sixty years. He was a professor of lab medicine and pathology at the University of Minnesota Medical School as well as a Masonic Cancer Center researcher.
Dr. Wattenberg was the first to discover that some compounds could effectively block the development of carcinogens in experimental animals. He coined the term “chemoprophylaxis” in his 1966 landmark manuscript in the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Journal, Cancer Research, in which he established cancer prevention as a compelling line of research. His work led to the study of the effects of diet on cancer prevention. He also investigated novel therapies to treat lung cancer patients, including the use of aerosols for drug delivery.
Dr. Wattenberg earned his MD from the University of Minnesota Medical School, where he spent his career and mentored numerous researchers. He received the 2010 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Prevention Research. He was a past president of the AACR and of the American Histochemical Society. He served on the Chemoprevention Implementation Committee of the National Cancer Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health, from 1998–2001.
Roderick Macdonald, Jr.
Roderick Macdonald, Jr
Dr. Roderick Macdonald, Jr., MD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Ophthalmology and Dean Emeritus at the University of South Carolina (USC) School of Medicine died on November 24, 2014 at the age of 88. Dr. Macdonald was the first permanent dean of the USC School of Medicine, accepting the post as Dean and Professor of Surgery (ophthalmology) in 1976.
Dr. Macdonald earned his MD at the Medical University of South Carolina and completed an internship at Baltimore City Hospital in Baltimore, MD, and residency at Tulane School of Medicine in New Orleans, LA. He served as Chief Resident in ophthalmology at Tulane before completing a fellowship in corneal transplant surgery. He served a tour as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army Medical Corps at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He was subsequently Assistant Professor and Chief of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, where he served as Professor of Ophthalmology and Department Chairman from 1965–73. He then joined the Medical College of Virginia as Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, where he served until moving to USC to accept the post as Dean.
Dr. Macdonald was a past member of the American Ophthalmological Society, American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the American Medical Association. He was a Diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology, for which he served as an Associate Examiner from 1968–1973. He was named Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Dean Emeritus of the USC School of Medicine in 2001.
Erwin R. Thal
Erwin R. Thal, MD, internationally renowned trauma surgeon at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical School, died on December 13, 2014 at the age of 78. Dr. Thal joined the faculty of UT Southwestern as an instructor of surgery in 1969 and became a UT Southwestern professor in 1982. He served as head of the Surgical Emergency Room at Parkland Hospital from 1970 to 1994. In 1995, he was appointed medical director of Parkland's Day Surgery Unit. From 1998 until his death, Dr. Thal served as the director of the Willed Body Program at the UT Southwestern Medical School.
Dr. Thal earned his undergraduate and MD degrees from The Ohio State University. He completed general surgery residency at Parkland Hospital in 1969, interrupted by two years of service in the United States Air Force as a flight medical officer. Prior to discharge, he was awarded the United States Air Force Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service. He received numerous honors and awards during his career, including an honorary fellowship in the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, a place on the Giants of Parkland Surgery wall, an Alumni Achievement Award from the Ohio State University College of Medicine, and the 2000 Minnie Stevens Piper Professor award. He also served as chairman of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma from 1986 to 1990. Dr. Thal was honored with several Excellence in Teaching Awards from UT Southwestern. He worked closely with the Dallas Fire Department for over 20 years and developed the Department's basic EMT and advanced paramedic courses. He was named an honorary fire chief in 1985 in recognition of his service.