Class Notes Sep/Oct 2018
Howard Ozer died on April 6, 2018. Here is the press release from the University of Illinois (Chicago):
Howard Ozer, former cancer researcher, clinician, professor and leader at UIC, died April 6. He was 71.
Ozer, who specialized in treatment of blood cancers, is internationally known for his work on biological therapies for cancer. He made significant developments in research related to blood cell growth factors and cytokines. He also conducted clinical trials in leukemia and lymphoma.
Ozer’s leadership role at UIC began in 2010, when he joined the faculty as the Eileen Lindsay Heidrick professor in oncology and chief of hematology/oncology. Soon after, in 2012, he assumed the role of director of the UI Cancer Center for two years.
In 2017, Ozer was named a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Only ASCO members who show extraordinary dedication and service to the field of cancer and cancer patients are awarded this title. He was grateful for the title and the support.
“In my 37 years in oncology and hematology, I’ve been able to witness and participate in clinical trials that cure and ameliorate many different kinds of tumors, and save many patients’ lives,” Ozer said in an interview last year. “To be recognized in this fashion by the American Society of Clinical Oncology whose membership was responsible for so many of these advances is truly an honor.”
Before coming to UIC, Ozer held many other leadership roles. At the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, he was Eason chair and section chief of hematology/oncology. He was also director of Oklahoma’s cancer center. During his time there, the center received a planning grant and grant renewal from the National Cancer Institute.
At Roswell Park Cancer Institute, he was associate professor of medicine. He moved after to become division chief of oncology for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and associate director for clinical affairs at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. He was director of Emory University’s Winship Cancer Center and director of the Cancer Center at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Ozer graduated from Yale University, where he earned an M.D. and Ph.D. and completed a training program in microbiology/immunology. He interned and completed his residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. He received fellowship training in hematology/oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Colleagues Patricia Finn, head of the department of medicine, and Damiano Rondelli, division chief of hematology/oncology, reflected on Ozer’s successful career and life. “Dr. Ozer’s passion for research and clinical studies made him also a senior leader of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Working Group at UIC and the director of the UI Health Tumor Registry,” Finn and Rondelli wrote in an email. “Howard was a great colleague, always smiling, willing to collaborate, and also to share his passion for Africa and hunting. He will be sincerely missed.”
Robert DeLorenzo wrote:
“I was saddened to hear that Dr. Howard Ozer had passed away… I knew Howard (“Howie”) as a friend and fellow MD-PhD student at the Yale Medical School. At the time we were some of the earliest MD-PhD students and the program was just beginning. He had a great sense of humor and passion for research. I remember vividly working with him in writing the PreTest self- assessment exam for medical students that was originally developed at Yale. We put in long hours working on these exam questions.”
Ned Wadhams died March 21, 2018, and Michael Emery Smith died April 23, 2018. We will have memorials for them in the next issue of the Class Notes. More current information is posted on the Class Website.
Barney Brawer is looking for classmates to support his “Perspectives” project, which he conceived with the late Len Hill. Here is a brief summary of his thoughts and questions:
“As we, the Class of 1969, gather again at Yale 50 years after our graduation, with others much younger who return to Yale after 5, 10, or 30 years–and with fond memories of those no longer with us–Who among us has something interesting or new or helpful to say about where we have been and where we are? What do we wish to communicate to ourselves, to each other, and to the institution in which we grew from children into adults? What valuable perspectives can be articulated and shared–across the years, across the generations, and across the great divides, past and present–as we still dance our way into the future? At this time–and in these difficult times–how can we continue to heal and create and contribute?
Barney’s phone: (617) 905-3156 and email: barney.brawer@thenationalclassroom.com.
The 50th Reunion Committee is planning several events during the weekend of the Yale-Harvard football game, which will be played this year on Saturday, November 17th at Fenway Park. There will be a festive gathering before the game near Fenway, at the Hawthorne, which will replace the usual pre-game biennial festivities at the Wheeler’s in Cambridge. The latest detailed information for all events will be posted on the class website at yale1969.org/weekend.
50th Reunion: Less than a year away!!! The latest news about our program and attendees will be posted on the Class Website at yale1969.org/50th-reunion/!!! This will be… yuge!!!
“There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.”
-Marshall McLuhan