Harry F. Bisel,

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

(1918–1994) was an American

oncologist Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''� ...

. With Fred Ansfield, Herman Freckman, Arnoldus Goudsmit, Robert Talley, William Wilson, and Jane Wright, was one of the founding members of 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). This group of pioneering doctors, through the formation of ASCO, is largely credited with the development of modern American clinical oncology. In 1964, Bisel was elected the first president of ASCO. He was active in the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...

and was a consultant to the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

. Bisel was a founding member of the

American Society of Preventive Oncology The American Society of Preventive Oncology is a multidisciplinary professional society dedicated to cancer prevention and control research. It was established in 1976. In 1992, the society established the Cullen Memorial Award, named after Jose ...

as well as the American Association for Cancer Education.

Life and education

He was born on June 17, 1918, in

Manor, Pennsylvania Manor is a borough that is located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,585 at the time of the 2020 census. History Manor metamorphosed from the original railroad stop, Manor Station, into the borough it is t ...

. He attended Peabody High School and the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

. There, he received the MD degree in 1942. Dr. Bisel did graduate work at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

and

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

. He was one of the first trainees to graduate from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Medical Neoplasia Center. In 1971, Dr. Bisel received the Hench Award from the

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a medical school of the University of Pittsburgh, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The School of Medicine, also known as Pitt Med, encompasses both a medical program, offering the doctor of ...

. He was in the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

from 1942 to 1978, and on active duty from 1943 to 1947. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was a flight surgeon and was awarded three battle stars for action in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. Dr. Bisel was the first formally trained oncologist hired by the

Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...

. He was on staff from 1963 until he retired in 1983. He founded the Mayo Clinic Section of Medical Oncology, and was chairmen from 1963 to 1972. He also served as a faculty member of the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine and the

Mayo Medical School The Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine (MCASOM), formerly known as Mayo Medical School (MMS), is a research-oriented medical school based in Rochester, Minnesota, with additional campuses in Arizona and Florida. MCASOM is a school within the May ...

. He married Sara C. Bisel and had three children: Jane, Clark and Harold.

Selected review papers

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bisel, Harry 1918 births 1994 deaths People from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania American oncologists People from Rochester, Minnesota University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Harvard Medical School alumni 20th-century American physicians