Masonic Cancer Center team saddened by the loss of Dr. Clara D. Bloomfield
The Masonic Cancer Center team is saddened by the loss of Clara D. Bloomfield, MD, a pioneer in oncology at the University of Minnesota and a longtime cancer-researcher and administrator at prestigious institutions around the country. We were able to welcome her back home in 2016 when she was a featured speaker for our 7th Annual Cancer Research Symposium.
"Dr. Bloomfield was the paradigm of a translation/clinical investigator," said Tucker W. LeBien, PhD, Professor of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology and past Associate Director of the Masonic Cancer Center. "She was years ahead of everyone else in appreciating how fundamental discoveries (monoclonal antibodies at that time) could be used to classify patients with AML and other leukemias, establish a prognosis, and predict patients' response to therapy. She demanded excellence and disciplined thought every step of the way."
Dr. Bloomfield began her medical oncology fellowship at the University of Minnesota in 1971 and became one of the University's first female Chief Residents. She advanced rapidly, moving from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor in just 3 years and became the University of Minnesota's first female full Professor of Medicine. The American Society of Clinical Oncology profiled her career in 2015 and you can read that full article here.
"The foundation of her international identity in the field of AML occurred during her ten year period as a faculty member in the Department of Medicine at the University of Minnesota; years before the formal establishment of the Masonic Cancer Center," noted LeBien. "Those of us who knew her well were inspired to tackle the tough questions and accepted the extraordinarily high standards and expectations she placed upon herself and everyone who worked with her. It was the best of times for me, personally."
Dr. Bloomfield ended her amazing career at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. Their full announcement can be found here.
