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Remembering David Grimwade, MD, PhD
(1962–2016)
David Grimwade, MD, PhD, passed
away on October 16. Dr. Grimwade
served as a professor of molecular hematology at King’s College
London, and he was a member of
the Department of Medical and
Molecular Genetics at Guy’s King’s
and St. Thomas’ School of Medicine. His research focused on the
molecular characterization of acute
promyelocytic leukemia (APL),
and he contributed a wealth of
knowledge to the identification of
prognostic factors in acute myeloid
leukemia (AML) and approaches
for the detection of minimalresidual disease (MRD).
In early October, ASH announced
that the Exemplary Service Award
would be presented to Dr. Grimwade. This award was established
16
ASH Clinical News
in 1998 in recognition of ASH
members whose years of service
have significantly advanced the
Society’s interests. Dr. Grimwade,
thanks to his deep commitment
and contributions to ASH training
programs, specifically the International Consortium on Acute Leukemia (ICAL) and the Translational
Research Training in Hematology
(TRTH), was selected for this honor
just prior to his passing. His family
will be presented with the award
at the 2016 ASH Annual Meeting in
San Diego.
In his years of involvement
with ASH, Dr. Grimwade earned
the trust and respect of colleagues around the world. A few
of his colleagues shared their
memories.
David Grimwade exemplified the modern hematologist.
He was a brilliant, independent
researcher capable of formulating important hypotheses and
carrying out exceedingly difficult
experimentation to prove them,
as was shown in the seminal
paper in the New England Journal
of Medicine (NEJM) from 2005 on
therapy-related APL, where his
group identified a surprisingly
tight, new breakpoint region involved in leukemogenesis. David
was dedicated to optimizing MRD
assays for clinical integration, a
task for which his organizational
talents have paid rich dividends
for the European hematology
community. I remember countless, lengthy European Unionsponsored meetings that would
have ended in utter chaos, had
it not been for David’s gentle
persistence and humor.
As head of the UK-AML
MRD trials, it was a pleasure to
interact with David on patient
sampling and reporting. (I always
wondered at his meticulousness in reporting or in asking for
additional material given that
his office was just as cluttered
as Janet Rowley’s office!) In our
last communication at the end
of September, he alluded to data
he was drafting for NEJM. I hope
that he was able to finish that
task. Irrespective, his work will
benefit our patients for years to
come.
—Peter Hokland, MD, DMedSci
Aarhus University in Denmark
I was happy to have known David
for nearly 20 years through the
APL field, as he was among the
first to characterize the PMLRAR fusion gene of APL and
follow the fusion gene during
therapy, detecting MRD and
presaging a trend in molecular
clinical oncology.
At the ASH/EHA Translational
Research Training Institute,
which he helped lead, we were
mentors to a small group of
trainees, and we served on the
oversight committee. He was
a pleasure to work with: sharp,
insightful, patient, and loved by
the trainees and faculty.
David was dedicated to patient
care. I remember when he helped
us at Northwestern de-convolute
a complicated molecular diagnosis
of APL and analyzed specimens
we sent to him. He made a difference in the care of that patient
and for society; his clinical studies
demonstrated the impact of targeted therapies in APL.
I remember his dedication
to science and translation of
findings. I enjoyed visiting his
lab, meeting his enthusiastic
students, and being introduced
to his mentor Ellen Solomon.
He continued his work through
his illness, even attending a
scientific meeting just before he
passed away.
I remember David’s sense
of humor and the enjoyment of
being at a bar with him at TRTH
at “apertivo” after a long day
of classes as David Bodine and
Ruud Dewel poured and poured
the prosecco and beer.
David was cheerful and brave,
even uplifting during his illness.
Last year at TRTH, he spoke
about his battle with cancer,
traveling back and forth for
therapy in the midst of the meeting and even showing a picture
of his tumor to the trainees and
faculty in an after-dinner talk.
The talk highlighted his delight in
discovery, love for his family and
colleagues, love of sport, and his
dedication to mentorship.
I will miss him. Hematology
will miss him.
—Jonathan D. Licht, MD
The University of Florida Health
Cancer Center
Dr. Grimwade’s
colleagues are compiling
a book of remembrances
for his family. Those
interested in contributing
may send them to
remembering.david.
[email protected].
December 2016