Chapter 12: The Competing Priorities of Patient Care and Research in the Past and Future of MD Anderson, and the Unsung Hero Clinicians at MD Anderson

Dr. Byers gives his perspective on the priority of personal patient care in MD Anderson’s past, Dr. R. Lee Clark’s emphasis on it relative to research, the trend of its deemphasis under subsequent MD Anderson presidents, and the necessity for its reemphasis in the future. Dr. Balch and Dr. Beyers then name the unsung heroes, who “did not publish 50 or 100 papers” or participate in clinical trials, MD Anderson clinicians: Drs. Oscar M. Guillamondegui, William “Bill” MacComb, Edgar “Ed” White, Richard “Dick” G. Martin, Felix N. Rutledge and Douglas E. Johnson. Dr. Byers talks about his pursuit of the “3 Legs of the Stool” (research, publishing, and clinical work), acknowledged the role of publishing to fund MD Anderson research, but emphasized the need for “bench to bed (bedside)” direct application of research to patient care.