It is with profound sadness that I announce the passing of our esteemed colleague and friend, Dr. Harvey Golomb. He died on Aug. 20.
Dr. Golomb had a highly successful career as a translational scientist before that word was in vogue, later as a leader of ASCO, and institutionally as section chief from 1981 to 1998, Department of Medicine Chair (1998-2005), chief medical officer, and in other important roles.
An authority on the genetic abnormalities that cause various cancers and on chemotherapy for the leukemias, lymphomas, and lung cancer, Dr. Golomb conducted pivotal research in collaboration with Dr. Janet Rowley defining genetic subsets of leukemia and was among the first physicians in the world to perform clinical studies using interferon as an anticancer agent—and identified that hairy cell leukemia was one of the effective indications for the drug.
He was also one of the first leaders to institute multimodality patient management conferences for patients with lung cancer and other solid tumors.
A graduate of the University of Chicago (BA, 1964) and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (MD, 1968), Dr. Golomb completed his residency at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine–where he also did a fellowship in medical genetics. He arrived at The University of Chicago in 1973 for a two-year fellowship in hematology/oncology and joined the faculty in 1975, rapidly rising to professor. In 1998 he was honored as the Lowell T. Coggeshall Professor.
In 1981, Dr. Golomb was appointed as chief of the Section of Hematology/Oncology. I have known Dr. Golomb since my first interview day for fellowship in early 1982 and have seen many of his accomplishments first-hand. During his time as chief, he created the modern Section of Hem/Onc that subsequent chiefs have built on. His recruits included, among many others, Drs. Mark Ratain, Richard Larson, Richard Schilsky, Philip Hoffman, Michelle LeBeau, Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Olopade, Nicholas Vogelzang, Hedy Kindler, Walter Stadler, and Mary Eileen Dolan. I greatly appreciated the opportunities I had working with him as a fellow and faculty in leading our head neck and later lung cancer programs.
Source: University of Chicago
In 1998, Dr. Golomb was appointed as chair of the Department of Medicine and served in this position until 2005. As chair, he was responsible for the recruitment and/or appointment of many former key institutional leaders, many with successful/distinguished clinical and research careers who continue to serve to this day.
As chair of the Department, Dr. Golomb also oversaw the successful transition of the Department into the 21st century and his leadership promoted and supported the research, clinical and educational missions for 7 years. The Department’s success during this time was a result of his hard work and extraordinary commitment. In 2005, he was appointed as dean for Clinical Affairs for BSD, and served as CMO for University of Chicago Medicine, and then as senior advisor to the UCM President for two years before returning to the Section as a senior distinguished faculty member.
Harvey was not just a mentor but also a friend to many of us.
The author of nearly 350 peer-reviewed publications and nearly 300 scientific abstracts or other publications, Dr. Golomb has won many awards. He served from 1990 to 1991 as president of the American Society for Clinical Oncology and was an elected member of ASCI.
Dr. Golomb’s impact on people and our department as a mentor has been tremendously positive. Harvey was not just a mentor but also a friend to many of us. He and his wife, Lynne, have been part of many of our lives and helped with many important decisions that shaped our families and our development. He established an enormous training legacy with dozens of oncologists. For this, we will forever be grateful. On a personal note, Dr. Golomb was instrumental in shaping my career as an oncologist and as a leader. Dr. Golomb will be remembered for his dedicated service to the Department, Section, and institution for 50 years.
The author is the John E. Ultmann Distinguished Service Professor, chair of the Department of Medicine and physician-in-chief at the University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences
