Alan S. Rabson, MD, a lead figurehead in defining the field of cancer pathology and head administration of the National Cancer Institute, died July 4 at age 92 due to complications of vascular disease, according to The New York Times.
Born in Brooklyn on July 1, 1926, Dr. Rabson studied biology at the University of Rochester in New York before graduating from medical school at Long Island College of Medicine, now known as SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in New York City.
Dr. Rabson arrived as a resident in anatomy pathology at the National Institutes of Health in 1955. He worked as a cancer pathologist through the 1960s, studying the relationship between viruses and cancer, and discovered the herpes virus' ability to remain in people's nerves after the infection subsides
From 1975 to 1995, Dr. Rabson served as an administrator at the Division of Cancer Biology at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. He went on to serve as the institute's deputy director from 1995 until he retired in 2015.
"He was the glue that held the National Cancer Institute together," Otis Brawley, MD, chief medical and scientific officer of the American Cancer Society, told The New York Times.
Throughout his career, Dr. Rabson was also known for helping cancer patients who needed referrals or advice at no cost, whether they were members of Congress, celebrities or even taxi drivers.
The American Cancer Institute created a fellowship in Dr. Rabson's name in 2009 and introduced the the Alan S. Rabson Award for Clinical Care to honor employees at National Institutes of Health in 2012.
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