Congratulations to Harry Bear, honored for cancer research at a ceremony earlier this May; the profile below includes an update on his family as well:
Harry D. Bear, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Medical Director of the Breast Health Center at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center, received the Distinguished Investigator Lifetime Achievement Award from the NSABP Foundation, Inc. at a ceremony in San Diego, CA on May 2, 2009.
The NSABP (National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project) is a national cooperative group that develops and conducts clinical studies to improve treatments and outcomes for breast and colorectal cancers. Dr. Bear became a research investigator with NSABP in 1984, and has held several leadership positions with the organization. He served as study chair for two major NSABP-sponsored clinical studies, B-27 and B-40, and has served on NSABP’s Board of Directors since 1991.
Dr. Bear was also honored this spring by the Medical College of Virginia Alumni Association, which named him the Outstanding Alumnus for 2009.
Harry’s wife Christine has recently retired from her job as a high school nurse, and after raising 3 boys, is finally spending some time “doing her own things.” Their oldest son Phillip (26) is a marine biologist working for a NOAA contractor; Michael (24) is working in a research lab at Tufts, after graduating from Boston University two years ago; Brian (21) is majoring in psychology at UNC Wilmington.
For a video clip of Harry speaking on his recent research, posted in the Fall 2008 issue of VCU Across the Spectrum, click here or visit www.spectrum.vcu.edu.