Joseph Holland Burchenal (December 21, 1912 – March 8, 2006) 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 (''� ...

, and a winner of the 1972 Albert Lasker Award for Medical Research for his work on developing a chemotherapy for

Burkitt's lymphoma Burkitt's lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, particularly B lymphocytes found in the germinal center. It is named after Denis Parsons Burkitt, the Irish surgeon who first described the disease in 1958 while working in equatorial Africa ...

.Staff, ASCO. February 24, 201
Oncology Luminaries: Dr. Joseph Burchenal (1912-2006)
/ref> His research with George Hitchings and Gertrude Elion led to the creation of the leukemia treatment

mercaptopurine Mercaptopurine (6-MP), sold under the brand name Purinethol among others, is a medication used for cancer and autoimmune diseases. Specifically it is used to treat acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), Crohn's d ...

. He worked at

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a cancer treatment and research institution in Manhattan in New York City. MSKCC is one of 72 National Cancer Institute– designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Its main campus is ...

and was a member of the presidential panel that initiated the U.S. federal government's

War on Cancer The "war on cancer" was launched in 1971 by President Richard Nixon to find a cure for cancer by increased research. The goals were to improve the understanding of cancer biology and to develop more effective cancer treatments, such as targete ...

. Burchenal died in

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a New England town, town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university ...

on March 8, 2006. He was 93 years old.Jeremy Pearce for the ''New York Times''. March 16, 200
Dr. Joseph H. Burchenal, 93, Who Devised Cancer-Drug Therapy, Dies
/ref>

References

1912 births 2006 deaths American oncologists Recipients of the Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award {{US-physician-stub

See also

References