David Sugarbaker
{{Short description|American physician (1953–2018)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox medical person
|name = David Sugarbaker
|image =
|image_size =
|caption =
|birth_name = David John Sugarbaker
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1953|8|5}}
|birth_place = Jefferson City, Missouri, U.S.
|death_date = {{Death date and age|2018|8|29|1953|8|5|mf=yes}}
|death_place = Houston, Texas, U.S.
|profession = Surgeon
|specialism = Thoracic surgery
|known_for = Establishing first non-cardiac division of thoracic surgery in the U.S.
Developing first general thoracic surgical training track in the U.S.
First to develop the multimodality therapy for mesothelioma patients
First to introduce the goal of macroscopic complete resection
|education = Wheaton College
Cornell University Medical School
|work_institutions = CHI St. Luke's Health–Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center
Baylor College of Medicine
}}
David John Sugarbaker (August 5, 1953 – August 29, 2018) was an American physician who was chief of the division of general thoracic surgery and the director of the Baylor College of Medicine Lung Institute at CHI St. Luke's Health–Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center in Houston, Texas.{{cite web|last1=Benson|first1=Dana|title=Sugarbaker on board as new chief of general thoracic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine|url=https://www.bcm.edu/news/appointments-faculty-staff/sugarbaker-chief-thoracic-surgery-baylor|website=Baylor College of Medicine News|publisher=Baylor College of Medicine|access-date=October 20, 2015}} He was an internationally recognized thoracic surgeon specializing in the treatment of mesothelioma, the surgical management of malignant pleural mesothelioma, and treatment of complex thoracic cancers.{{cite web|title=David Sugarbaker M.D.|url=http://www.asbestos.com/treatment/doctors/david-sugarbaker.php|website=Asbestos.com|publisher=The Mesothelioma Center|access-date=October 20, 2015}}
Early life
Sugarbaker grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri, as one of ten children of Everett Dornbush Sugarbaker (1910–2001), a cancer surgeon, and Gevena Ione (née Van Dyke, 1911–2015), a registered nurse.{{cite web|last1=Povtak|first1=Tim|title=Mesothelioma Survivors Endorse Baylor's Lung Institute in Houston|url=http://www.asbestos.com/news/2015/02/17/baylor-lung-institute-survivors-thank-david-sugarbaker/|website=Asbestos.com|publisher=The Mesothelioma Center|access-date=September 28, 2015}}{{cite journal|last1=Harris, M.D.|first1=David A.|last2=Lau, M.D., M.B.A.|first2=Christine L.|title=Historical perspectives of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery: David J. Sugarbaker|url=http://www.jtcvsonline.org/article/S0022-5223(14)00978-7/abstract|journal=The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery|year=2015|volume=150|issue=1|pages=1–3|publisher=Elsevier Inc.|doi=10.1016/j.jtcvs.2014.07.018|access-date=September 30, 2015|pmid=25240523|doi-access=free}} He was the younger brother of the surgeon Paul Sugarbaker.{{cite journal |last1=Coselli |first1=Joseph S. |title=In Memoriam: David J. Sugarbaker, MD (1953–2018) |journal=Texas Heart Institute Journal |date=2019 |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=1–2 |pmc=6379011 |doi=10.14503/THIJ-18-6879 }} Sugarbaker spent his high school and college years helping his father in the operating room, visiting patients outside of town, and becoming interested in medicine.{{cite web|title=DAVID J. SUGARBAKER, M.D.|url=http://www.tmcnews.org/2015/02/david-j-sugarbaker-m-d/|website=TMC News|publisher=Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Medical Center|access-date=September 29, 2015}}
He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in 1975 from Wheaton College in Illinois.{{cite web|title=Dr. David Sugarbaker|url=http://www.mesothelioma.com/treatment/doctors/dr-david-sugarbaker.htm|website=Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance at Mesothelioma.com|publisher=Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance at Mesothelioma.com|access-date=September 28, 2015}}
He graduated at the top of his class with his medical degree from Cornell University Medical School in 1979 and married Linda Sterk two weeks before beginning his surgical internship. He completed a residency in surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and a residency in cardiothoracic surgery at Toronto General Hospital, where he served as chief resident in both thoracic surgery and cardiac surgery. He then became chief resident in cardiac surgery at Toronto General Hospital and a resident in pediatric cardiac surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario.{{cite web|last1=Williams|first1=Lori|title=Dr. David Sugarbaker will lead comprehensive lung center at Baylor|url=https://www.bcm.edu/news/appointments-faculty-staff/sugarbaker-will-lead-baylor-lung-center|website=Baylor College of Medicine News|publisher=Baylor College of Medicine|access-date=October 20, 2015}}
Career
Sugarbaker began his career in 1988, focusing primarily on pleural mesothelioma. Following the completion of his residency training, Sugarbaker was appointed chief at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where he founded and built the first non-cardiac division of thoracic surgery in the United States.{{cite web|title=Welcome|url=http://www.chestsurg.org/|website=The Division of Thoracic Surgery|publisher=Brigham and Women's Hospital|access-date=October 20, 2015}} The division grew under his leadership to become the largest of its kind in the United States. In 1989, Sugarbaker was a leader in the establishment of the Tissue and Blood Repository at Brigham and Women's Hospital.{{cite web|last1=Hyde-Barrett|first1=Lisa|title=The End of a Legacy at Boston's Brigham & Women's Hospital|url=https://www.mesotheliomahelp.org/community/end-legacy-bostons-brigham-womens-hospital/|website=MesotheliomaHelp.org|publisher=Belluck & Fox, LLP|access-date=October 20, 2015}} A year later, Sugarbaker completed the first ever lung transplant in Massachusetts.{{cite web|title=Awards, Honors & Grants|url=http://www.brighamandwomens.org/About_BWH/publicaffairs/news/awards/Award_Honor.aspx?sub=0&PageID=1410|website=Brigham and Women's Hospital|publisher=Brigham and Women's Hospital|access-date=December 18, 2015|archive-date=December 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222160331/http://www.brighamandwomens.org/About_BWH/publicaffairs/news/awards/Award_Honor.aspx?sub=0&PageID=1410|url-status=dead}} In 1992, Sugarbaker developed the first general thoracic surgical training track in the U.S. and has since trained over 80 residents and placed about two-thirds of his graduates into academic positions. In addition to his career at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Sugarbaker began as Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School in 1999.{{cite web|last1=Devine|first1=Andrew|title=Legendary Mesothelioma Doctor David Sugarbaker Heads to Baylor College of Medicine|url=http://www.mesotheliomaguide.com/community/legendary-mesothelioma-doctor-sugarbaker-heads-baylor-college-medicine/|website=MesotheliomaGuide|publisher=MesotheliomaGuide.com|access-date=September 28, 2015|archive-date=September 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920043840/http://www.mesotheliomaguide.com/community/legendary-mesothelioma-doctor-sugarbaker-heads-baylor-college-medicine/|url-status=dead}} In 2002, he founded the International Mesothelioma Program (IMP) with the central goal of finding a cure for the disease. The program is the largest of its kind and attracts patients from all over the world.{{cite web|title=David J Sugarbaker, M.D.|url=https://www.bcm.edu/people/view/8a46e330-b193-11e3-a42d-005056b104be/54106dd9-0b00-4a90-9c5b-2e060a1612dc|website=Baylor College of Medicine|publisher=Baylor College of Medicine}}
Sugarbaker arrived at the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in 2014 and that same year founded the new Division of General Thoracic Surgery, the Lung Institute, which integrates medical and surgical treatments for benign and malignant non-cardiac thoracic diseases, and the Mesothelioma Treatment Center (MTC), focused on the evaluation and treatment of patients with mesothelioma.{{cite web|title=The First Comprehensive Lung Institute in Texas Offers Hope to Patients with a World Class Team of Experts|url=http://www.mesothelioma.com/treatment/alerts/the-first-comprehensive-lung-institute-in-texas-offers-hope-to-patients-with-a-world-class-team-of-experts.htm|website=Mesothelioma.com|publisher=Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance|access-date=October 20, 2015}}
As Director of the Baylor College of Medicine Lung Institute at CHI St. Luke's Health–Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, Sugarbaker led the first multi-specialty Lung Institute in Texas, focused on the treatment of lung disease.{{cite web|last1=Williams|first1=Lori|title=First comprehensive Lung Institute in Texas offers hope along with world class team of experts|url=https://www.bcm.edu/news/lung/baylor-st-lukes-lung-institute-houston|website=Baylor College of Medicine|publisher=Baylor College of Medicine|access-date=September 28, 2015}} Sugarbaker's clinical practice was focused in general thoracic surgery, specifically the surgical treatment of benign and malignant disorders of the lung, pleura, esophagus, chest wall, and mediastinum.{{cite web|title=About Dr. Sugarbaker|url=https://www.pleuralmesothelioma.com/treatment/david-sugarbaker.php|website=Pleural Mesothelioma Center|publisher=PleuralMesothelioma.com|access-date=October 20, 2015}}
Over time, Sugarbaker had refined the techniques of extrapleural pneumonectomy, developed methods to perform intraoperative heated chemotherapy, and conducted multiple clinical trials to establish the appropriate intraoperative chemotherapies to be delivered. His later research focused on improving drugs for therapy of malignant pleural mesothelioma.{{cite journal|last1=Sugarbaker|first1=David|last2=Mujoomdar|first2=AA|title=Hyperthermic chemoperfusion for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.|pmid=19251168|doi=10.1053/j.semtcvs.2008.11.002|volume=20|journal=Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg|issue=4|pages=298–304|year=2008}} The goal of Sugarbaker's project was to uncover potential targets for therapy in cancer through the development of new bioinformatic tools and functional analysis algorithms.
Recognition
Sugarbaker was known worldwide for his expertise in the surgical management of malignant pleural mesothelioma and of complex thoracic cancers.{{cite web|last1=Devine|first1=Andrew|title=Legendary Mesothelioma Doctor David Sugarbaker Heads to Baylor College of Medicine|url=http://www.mesotheliomaguide.com/community/legendary-mesothelioma-doctor-sugarbaker-heads-baylor-college-medicine/|website=Mesothelioma Guide|publisher=Bullock Campbell Bullock & Harris P.C.|access-date=October 20, 2015|archive-date=October 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017050000/http://www.mesotheliomaguide.com/community/legendary-mesothelioma-doctor-sugarbaker-heads-baylor-college-medicine/|url-status=dead}}
Castle Connolly has annually named Sugarbaker as one of "America's Top Doctors" since 2002 and gave him special distinctions in 2007 and 2009.{{cite web|title=Dr. David Sugarbaker|url=http://health.usnews.com/doctors/david-sugarbaker-11597|website=U.S. News & World Report Health|publisher=U.S. News & World Report LP|access-date=October 20, 2015}}{{cite web|title=Medical Board|url=http://www.pghworld.com/medical-board|website=PGH|publisher=Preferred Global Health|access-date=October 20, 2015}}
In 2006, Sugarbaker was awarded the inaugural Crystal Ball Clearly Time Award by the Lung Cancer Alliance.{{cite web|title=Sugarbaker Receives Crystal Ball Award|url=http://www.brighamandwomens.org/about_bwh/publicaffairs/news/publications/DisplayCRN.aspx?articleid=742|website=BWH Clinical & Research News|publisher=Brigham and Women's Hospital|access-date=October 20, 2015|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305033725/http://www.brighamandwomens.org/about_bwh/publicaffairs/news/publications/DisplayCRN.aspx?articleid=742|url-status=dead}}
Sugarbaker was a pioneer in the treatment of mesothelioma. He was the first to develop the multimodality therapy for patients with the disease. He championed the techniques of cytoreductive surgery and was the first to introduce the goal of macroscopic complete resection. Recognized for his efforts, Sugarbaker received the Pioneer Award from Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation in 2012.{{cite web|last1=Hall|first1=Mark|title=Mesothelioma Expert Dr. Sugarbaker Designated as Pioneer Award Recipient from The Meso Foundation|url=http://www.asbestos.com/news/2012/06/22/mesothelioma-expert-dr-sugarbaker-designated-as-pioneer-award-recipient-from-the-meso-foundation/|website=Asbestos.com|publisher=The Mesothelioma Center|access-date=September 28, 2015}}
In 2013, he received the Henry D. Chadwick Medal, the highest honor awarded by the Massachusetts Pulmonary Section of the American Lung Association of the Northeast's Medical & Scientific Branch for meritorious contributions in the study and treatment of thoracic diseases.{{cite web|title=The Henry D. Chadwick Medal|url=http://www.lung.org/associations/charters/northeast/programs/msb/mps/the-henry-d-chadwick-medal.html|website=American Lung Association|publisher=American Lung Association of the Northeast|access-date=September 28, 2015}}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web|title=Awards, Honors & Grants|url=http://www.brighamandwomens.org/About_BWH/publicaffairs/news/awards/AwardsHonors.aspx?ArchiveYear=2013|website=Brigham and Women's Hospital|publisher=Brigham and Women's Hospital|access-date=October 20, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304234621/http://www.brighamandwomens.org/About_BWH/publicaffairs/news/awards/AwardsHonors.aspx?ArchiveYear=2013|url-status=dead}}
Death and legacy
Sugarbaker died on August 29, 2018.{{cite web |title=We are sad to announce that Dr. David Sugarbaker, a pioneer in mesothelioma treatment and renowned specialist, died today after a battle with liver cancer |url=https://twitter.com/TheMesoCenter/status/1034915110492545024 |website=Twitter |publisher=The Mesothelioma Center |access-date=August 30, 2018 |language=en}} According to Jacques Fontaine, a thoracic surgeon who trained under Sugarbaker, "His legacy will endure through the accomplishments of all the prominent thoracic surgeons he has trained. He is the mentor of mentors. His vision, focus and dedication to advancing the treatment of mesothelioma have influenced an entire generation of thoracic surgeons." Another thoracic surgeon, Abraham Lebenthal, also trained by Sugarbaker, said, "In this field [mesothelioma], he is the gold standard. I don't think you'll get any argument over that. He is Dr. Mesothelioma."{{cite web |last1=Povtak |first1=Tim |title=Dr. David Sugarbaker, Mesothelioma Treatment Pioneer, Dies at 65 |url=https://www.asbestos.com/news/2018/08/29/david-sugarbaker-mesothelioma-pioneer-dies/ |website=Asbestos.com |publisher=The Mesothelioma Center |access-date=August 30, 2018}}
References
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Category:People from Jefferson City, Missouri
Category:American thoracic surgeons
Category:21st-century American physicians
Category:Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni
Category:Weill Cornell Medical College alumni
Category:Physicians from Missouri
Category:Physicians from Texas
Category:20th-century American surgeons
Category:Presidents of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery