At his May 8 retirement celebration, the University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) honored the career David S. Alberts, MD, Regents Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology, Nutritional Science, Public Health and BIO5 at The University of Arizona College of Medicine, and UACC Director Emeritus.
The event included a scientific symposium from noon to 3 p.m. and a “Celebrating a Stellar Career” tribute—with colleagues, patients, friends and family—from 4-5 p.m. in Kiewit Auditorium, followed by a reception in the UACC Atrium, or lower lobby.
The reception was led off by comments of current UACC Director Andrew Kraft, MD, professor of medicine, senior associate dean for translational research for the UA College of Medicine – Tucson, associate vice president of oncology programs, UA Health Sciences, and the UA’s Sydney E. Salmon Endowed Chair. Dr. Alberts capped off the evening with a short talk.
Among those present from the UA Department of Medicine were DOM Chair Monica Kraft, MD; Julie Bauman, MD, MPH, chief, Division of Hematology and Oncology; James Sligh, MD, PhD, chief, Division of Dermatology; Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, MD, associate professor of dermatology and director of the Skin Cancer Institute’s Cutaneous Oncology Program and Pigmented Lesion Clinic; and others. UA College of Medicine - Tucson Dean Charles Cairns, MD, also attended.
For a photo gallery from the event, 
click here [PDF] or on the image at left.
Dr. Alberts was instrumental in founding of the cancer center in 1976, and in building its Cancer Prevention and Control Program into one of the top programs in the nation. His NCI-funded drug and diagnostics research resulted in 18 patents and the co-founding of four Arizona pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
He has authored or co-authored more than 540 peer-reviewed publications, 100 book chapters and 60 invited articles and has been editor and co-editor of nine books as well as served on the editorial boards of multiple scientific journals. He received the American Society of Preventive Oncology’s Distinguished Career Award in 2004 and the American Association of Cancer Research’s Pioneer in Cancer Award in 2014.
In 2006, he helped co-found the UA Skin Cancer Institute—for which Dr. Alberts has dedicated himself in recent years toward establishment of a $5 million endowment to support. Learn more about the Skin Cancer Institute and how you might assist in “Expanding the Legacy for Dr. David Alberts” by contributing toward that goal here.
See the program from the day’s activities, including speakers at the symposium and tribute and a short biography, at this link [PDF].