Clara Derber Bloomfield (May 15, 1942 – March 1, 2020), was an American physician and cancer researcher. Her work focused on the genetic changes that are present in certain types of blood cancers, and how those can be utilized to improve treatment for the affected patients.

Education

Clara D. Bloomfield graduated from University Laboratory High School in 1959, earned her B.A. from the San Diego State College (San Diego, California) in 1963, and earned her M.D. from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1968. She completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Chicago and a fellowship in medical oncology at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

Career

Bloomfield was the first woman to reach the rank of a full professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota in 1980. In 1989, she became professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Oncology at the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...

at Buffalo. At the same time, she was chair of the Division of Medicine at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. In 1997, she moved to Columbus,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, where she became director of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James). She held this position until 2003. Bloomfield was a distinguished university professor and senior adviser at the OSUCCC-James. She was also a member of the Molecular Biology and Cancer Genetics Program, a professor of internal medicine, and she held the William Greenville Pace III Endowed Chair in Cancer Research.

Research

Early in her career, Bloomfield focused on the study of

chromosome abnormalities A chromosomal abnormality, chromosomal anomaly, chromosomal aberration, chromosomal mutation, or chromosomal disorder is a missing, extra, or irregular portion of chromosomal DNA. These can occur in the form of numerical abnormalities, where ther ...

in cancers of the

hematopoietic system The haematopoietic system ( spelled hematopoietic system in American English) is the system in the body involved in the creation of the cells of blood. Structure Stem cells Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside in the medulla of the bone ( ...

(

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

s and

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

s). She and her co-workers identified several novel chromosome changes in leukemia and lymphoma, and discovered that these abnormalities are among the most important factors that determine a patient's prognosis. For example, Bloomfield was involved in the discovery of the

Philadelphia chromosome The Philadelphia chromosome or Philadelphia translocation (Ph) is an abnormal version of chromosome 22 where a part of the ''ABL (gene), Abelson murine leukemia'' 1 (''ABL1'') gene on chromosome 9 breaks off and attaches to the ''BCR (gene), break ...

in patients with

acute lymphoblastic leukemia Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the Lymphocyte, lymphoid line of blood cells characterized by the development of large numbers of lymphoblast, immature lymphocytes. Symptoms may include feeling tired, pale skin color, fever, ...

(ALL). She was also involved in describing the rearrangement of chromosome 16q22 in

acute myeloid leukemia Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells, characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal cells that build up in the bone marrow and blood and interfere with haematopoiesis, normal blood cell production. Sympt ...

. Bloomfield co-authored the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

(WHO) Classification of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues, and the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) guidelines on diagnosis and management of acute myeloid leukemia.

Personal life

In 1984, Bloomfield was married to Albert de la Chapelle, a geneticist and professor in the Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

and discoverer of

XX male syndrome XX male syndrome, also known as de la Chapelle syndrome or 46,XX testicular disorder of sex development (or 46,XX DSD) is a rare intersex condition in which an individual with a 46,XX karyotype develops a male phenotype.updated 2015 In 90 perce ...

Death

Bloomfield died on March 1, 2020, aged 77, after an accident in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

Honors and awards

Bloomfield was elected a member of the

Institute of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...

of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

in 2000. In 2011, she was elected as a fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

. She also was an elected member of the

Association of American Physicians The Association of American Physicians (AAP) is an honorary medical society founded in 1885 by the Canadian physician Sir William Osler and six other distinguished physicians of his era for "the advancement of scientific and practical medicine ...

and an elected fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

. Among the awards Bloomfield received during her career are: * The Joseph H. Burchenal Clinical Research Award from the

American Association for Cancer Research The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest professional association related to cancer research. Based in Philadelphia, the AACR focuses on all aspects of cancer research, including Basic research, basic, ...

(2004) * The Distinguished Service Award for Scientific Achievement from the

American Society of Clinical Oncology The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is a professional organization representing physicians of all oncology sub-specialties who care for people with cancer. Founded in 1964 by Fred Ansfield, Harry Bisel, Herman Freckman, Arnoldus G ...

(ASCO) (2006) * The Henry M. Stratton Medal from the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (2008) * The David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award from ASCO (2009). * The Giants of Cancer Care(R) Award in Myeloid Neoplasms (2015) * Margaret Kripke Legend Award (2016)

Sources

* National Library of Medicine
Biography: Dr. Clara D. Bloomfield
*

References

External links

Information on Clara D. Bloomfield on the website of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloomfield, Clara 1942 births 2020 deaths People from Flushing, Queens Physicians from New York City San Diego State University alumni University of Chicago alumni University of Minnesota fellows American cancer researchers American hematologists Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the AACR Academy 20th-century American physicians 20th-century American women physicians 21st-century American physicians 21st-century American women physicians Women hematologists Members of the National Academy of Medicine