F O R M E R F A C U LT Y Eugene Goldwasser, SB ’43, PhD ’50, who isolated and purified an anti-anemia protein that helped launch the biotechnology industry, died on December 17, 2010, in his Hyde Park home, of complications related to prostate cancer. He was 88. Goldwasser, the Alice Hogge and Arthur A. Baer Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, is known as the “father of EPO” for his discovery of erythropoietin. EPO controls the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, and it took nearly 25 years to purify and isolate. In 1977, at the urging of colleagues and the federal agencies that funded his lab — the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health — Goldwasser filled out the patent disclosure form and submitted it to the university, but the application was never filed. Although he missed a chance to share in the rewards of helping to develop a drug that generates billions of dollar of revenue, Goldwasser, who came to the university as an undergraduate on a scholarship and returned for his PhD after serving in World War II, was known for his unassuming character, his delight in doing science and the joy it brought him to see his contributions enable patients to live longer and more productive lives. Goldwasser documented his quest to isolate EPO, publishing more than 150 research studies, 60 book chapters and a book about the work on erythropoietin due for publication this year. He also wrote a short biography of his mentor, Leon Jacobson, MD, who triggered Goldwasser’s interest in EPO. Goldwasser taught in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from 1952 until 2002. He chaired the department twice, once leaving retirement to do so. Goldwasser is survived by his second wife, three sons, two stepchildren and seven grandchildren. Allan Lorincz, MD ’47, professor emeritus of medicine, died on September 7, 2010, at age 85 after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. Lorincz was a pioneer in the field of dermatology and a powerful advocate for the specialty, which he considered neglected. His research demonstrated the
prevalence of skin disorders and their implications on other organ systems. He led a push to apply basic biological science to dermatology and to offer medical trainees more exposure to the field. Lorincz came to the University of Chicago for college and remained his entire medical career. He joined the university faculty in 1952 as an assistant professor of medicine and was chief of the Section of Dermatology from 1961 to 1991. He maintained his appointment while serving for two years as chief of the Department of Dermatology at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Remembered by friends and colleagues for his creativity, humility and encyclopedic knowledge of skin diseases, Lorincz published more than 150 papers and review articles in leading journals, held leadership positions in local and national dermatological societies and served on the editorial board of various medical journals. He received the first ever Gold Medal Award from the Chicago Dermatological Society, which also established an endowed lectureship in his name. He is an honorary member of dermatological societies in five countries and received awards from the University of Chicago Medical and Biological Sciences Alumni Association. He survived his wife, Lillian Tatter, who passed away in 1996. They are survived by three children, Donald, Linda (Shelton) and Alice; three grandchildren; and Lorincz’s two brothers, Albert and Andrew, both University of Chicago MDs. Lynn Throckmorton, PhD, professor emeritus of biology, died December 14, 2009, after a long illness. An evolutionary biologist, Throckmorton, working with colleagues John Hubby, PhD, a professor of biology, and Richard Lewontin, PhD, formerly the Louis Block Professor of Biology and Mathematical Biology, did important research on the biogeography of fruit flies and on the genetic differences between individuals of the same species. Throckmorton, Hubby and their graduate student Maureen Sims, PhD ’66, jointly were the first to demonstrate in flies that protein variants (detected by their difference in charge) behaved as strictly Mendelian traits. His detailed classification of the thousands of species in the Drosophila genus and its near relatives is still in use. Born in 1927, Throckmorton earned his PhD from the University of Texas in 1959 and came to the University of Chicago in 1961. He was
chairman of the Committee on Evolutionary Biology from 1973 to 1976. Leigh Van Valen, PhD, professor emeritus in the Department of Ecology and Evolution, passed away on October 16, 2010, at age 75. A recipient of the Medical and Biological Sciences Alumni Association’s Gold Key Award, Van Valen was internationally recognized for his theoretical studies of extinction and diversification, the evolutionary and ecological role of energy flow in regulating diversity and the radiation of mammals after the extinction of the dinosaurs. He was also one of the founders of the field of paleobiology, which combines research on current life forms with the study of fossils to answer questions about the processes shaping large-scale evolutionary and ecological patterns. He was one of the earliest modern advocates for the importance of development in evolution, as captured in his much-quoted aphorism: “Evolution is the control of development by ecology.” Van Valen’s most famous paper, “A New Evolutionary Law,” was initially considered so radical that none of the leading journals would publish it. So he founded his own journal, Evolutionary Theory, and published it in 1973. The paper introduced concepts that continue to shape the field of biology. Van Valen posited the law of constant extinction, often called Van Valen’s Law: The probability of extinction bears no relation to how long a species has already existed. To explain this surprising finding, Van Valen proposed the now-famous Red Queen hypothesis, which holds that the struggle for existence never eases up — species must constantly struggle for finite resources, developing new adaptations, weapons or defenses in a prolonged sequence of mutational one-upmanship. After facing resistance to his most daring ideas, Van Valen spoke out against grant-making structures that he believed constrained scientific research. While remaining an independent critic, he held important roles in professional groups and served on the editorial boards of several journals. Van Valen is survived by his wife, Virginia Maiorana; his daughter, Katrina; and his longtime friend Towako Katsuno. Another daughter, Diane, died in 1995.
M E D I C I N E O N T H E M I D WAY A University of Chicago Medical Center Publication Spring 2011, Volume 64, No. 2 Executive and Managing Editor Cheryl L. Reed, assistant director, publications Contributing Editors Kathy DeVries, vice president of communications and marketing Denise Alamad, director of publications John Easton, director of communications Editorial Contributors Ruth Carol William Dale, MD, PhD Shane Graber Kelin Hall Jennifer Martin Rob Mitchum Brooke O’Neill Casey Reid Nicole Richmond Barbara Rose Mary Beth Sammons Kelly Smith Ankur Thakkar Kadesha Thomas Gerald Waddell Brian Welch Photo Contributors John R. Benfield, MD David Christopher William Dale, MD, PhD Dan Dry J. Andrew Gillis HOK /JCDA /AJSNY Loyola University Medical Center Christopher ’Sola Olopade, MD George Perry Bruce Powell Project Exploration Aisha Sethi, MD Danielle Shapiro Jason Smith David Song, MD Design Firm 3C: Chicago Creative Communications, the University of Chicago Editorial Committee Chairwoman Chris Albanis, AB ’96, MD ’00 Lampis Anagnostopoulos, SB ’57, MD ’61 Arnold Calica, SM ’61, MD ’75 Patricia Martin, AB ’74, MD ’78 Jerrold Seckler, MD ’68 Coleman Seskind, AB ’55, SB ’56, SM/MD ’59 Medicine on the Midway is published for friends, alumni and faculty of the University of Chicago Medical Center, the University of Chicago Division of Biological Sciences and the Pritzker School of Medicine. Articles may be reprinted in full or part with permission of the editor. We welcome your comments and letters to the editor. Address Correspondence to: Editor, Medicine on the Midway University of Chicago Medical Center 950 East 61st Street Third Floor, Suite 323 Chicago, IL 60637-1470 Telephone 773-834-8089 Facsimile 773-834-5926 E-mail Editor momedit@uchospitals.edu E-mail Class News alumni@mcdmail.uchicago.edu Find Us on the Web uchospitals.edu/midway © February 2011. University of Chicago Medical Center, Department of Communications and Marketing 013–11
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