Emil Frei
American physician and oncologist
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Emil "Tom" Frei III (February 21, 1924 – April 30, 2013) was an American physician and oncologist. He was the former director and former physician-in-chief of the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. He was also the Richard and Susan Smith Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.[1]
Emil Frei III | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | February 21, 1924 |
| Died | April 30, 2013 (aged 89) |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | Colgate University Yale School of Medicine |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Known for | Cancer research |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Smith (nurse), 1948-1986 (her death) Adoria Brock, 1987-2009 (her death) |
| Children | 5 |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | National Cancer Institute MD Anderson Cancer Center Dana–Farber Cancer Institute |
Early life and education
Frei was born in 1924 in St. Louis.[2] His mother nicknamed him Tom after Tom Sawyer.[3] His family owned the stained glass manufacturer Emil Frei & Associates.
He was inspired to study science after reading Hans Zinsser's book Rats, Lice and History.[3] Frei completed an accelerated pre-med Colgate University in 1944 after only 2 years of study[4] and his medical degree from Yale University in 1948.
Career
He interned at Firmin Desloge Hospital, now St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri and served as a physician in the Korean War. He worked at the National Cancer Institute from 1955 to 1965 and the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center from 1965 to 1972; while at M.D. Anderson he was the founding director of the Department of Development Therapeutics, which evolved into the Clinical Research Center. He served as physician-in-chief at the Dana-Farber Institute from 1972 to 1991. He is best known for his work on the treatment of lymphomas and childhood and adult leukemia.[5] His groundbreaking research into then-controversial combination chemotherapy, including the VAMP regimen, earned him many awards.[4][6]
He coauthored Holland–Frei Cancer Medicine with James F. Holland.[7]
Involvement in Cancer Cooperative Group Research
Frei was one of the founders of the Acute Leukemia Group B which later evolved into the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB). He served as the group chair for 16 years, from 1956 to 1963, and again from 1981 to 1990.[8]
Journal of Clinical Oncology
He coined the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 1981, journal published first issue in 1983 in association with American Society of Clinical Oncology.[9]
Recognition
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In 1972 he received the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award from the Lasker Foundation "for his outstanding contribution in application of the concept of combination chemotherapy for lymphoma and acute adult leukemia."[10] Other awards included the Jeffrey A. Gottlieb Memorial Award (1978); NIH Distinguished Alumni Award (1990); Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1999); Pollin Prize for Pediatric Research (2003); and AARC Lifetime Achievement Award (2004).[11]
- 2013 Fellow of the AACR Academy
- 2004 AACR Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1999 Elected Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 1997 Elected Member, Institute of Medicine
- 1990 First NIH Distinguished Alumni Award
- 1989 Armand Hammer Award
- 1985 Hamao Umezawa Award, International Society of Chemotherapy, Infection and Cancer
- 1983 Charles F. Kettering Prize, General Motors Cancer Research Foundation
- 1981 Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement[12]
- 1980 Elected fellow of the American College of Physicians
- 1972 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award
- 1971 President, AACR
- 1968 President, American Society of Clinical Oncology
Death
Frei died of Parkinson's disease at his home in Oak Park, Illinois on April 30, 2013. He was 89.[2]