In Memoriam
It is with deep regret and profound sadness that we report the death of the following AACR members. The AACR is honored to recognize these outstanding members for their dedication to the association and to the field of cancer. Please note that this information is only that which has been volunteered to us by colleagues, friends, and family. The following list includes members who have passed away in the current year. Please email the Membership Department to share additional information on a deceased member.
Robert Arceci
Robert J. Arceci, MD, PhD, director of the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Hematology and Oncology and co-director of the Ronald A. Matricaria Institute of Molecular Medicine at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Arizona, died June 8, 2015. Arceci had been a member of the AACR since 1990.
Irwin A. Rose
Irwin A. Rose, PhD, a Nobel laureate and fellow of the AACR Academy, died June 2, 2015, at the age of 88. Rose, distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of California, Irvine, was known for his groundbreaking work that helped lead to further understanding of diseases including cancer, cystic fibrosis, and Parkinson’s disease.
Julie A. Ross
Julie A. Ross, PhD, professor and director of the Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, died June 19, 2015, at the age of 54. Ross had been a member of the AACR since 1992.
Alan C. Sartorelli
Alan C. Sartorelli, PhD, died April 30, 2015, in Connecticut at age 84. He was a pioneer in cancer chemotherapy, past president of the AACR, and Fellow of the AACR Academy.
Arthur C. Upton
Arthur C. Upton, MD, died February 14, 2015, at the age of 92. He was a renowned pathologist and expert in radiation biology. He was an emeritus professor of environmental and community medicine at the Rutgers R.W. Johnson Medical School. He was an AACR past-president (1963-1964) and an elected Fellow of the AACR Academy.
Dirk van Bekkum
Dirk Willem van Bekkum, MD, a founder and former president of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), died July 17, 2015, at the age of 89.
Meir Wetzler
Meir Wetzler, MD, died February 23, 2015, at the age of 60. He was chief of the leukemia section and medical director of clinical services in the Department of Medicine at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York.
H. Rodney Withers
H. Rodney Withers, DSc, MD, an emeritus member of the AACR, died February 25, 2015, at the age of 82. Withers, an internationally renowned, clinically oriented radiation oncologist, was professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).