On September 22, the oncology community lost Steven M. Grunberg, MD, an outstanding mentor, clinician, and researcher who generously donated his time volunteering for several oncology organizations, including ASCO and the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC).

Dr. Grunberg was born in Paterson, NJ, on June 5, 1950. He earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at Cornell University in 1971 and 1975, respectively. Following a residency at the University of California, San Francisco, he completed a medical oncology fellowship at the Sidney Farber Cancer Institute, now the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In 1981, he joined the faculty at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, where he spent 12 years before joining the University of Vermont College of Medicine/Fletcher Allen Health Care in 1993 as Professor of Medicine, Director of Hematology/Oncology, and Associate Director for Clinical Research at the Vermont Cancer Center.

Specializing in lung and head and neck cancers, Dr. Grunberg had a prolific publication record and was internationally renowned for his work in supportive care for patients with cancer. At the time of his death, Dr. Grunberg was the Immediate Past President of MASCC. He was also a very active ASCO volunteer, sitting on numerous committees including: the State Affiliate Council, Journal of Clinical Oncology Editorial Board, Cancer Education Committee, and Health Services Committee.

“He was on just about every major committee in the Society over at least a 20-year period,” said ASCO CEO Allen S. Lichter, MD, FASCO. “Steve had a strong passion for oncology and a deep and abiding sense of service. He was someone you could always count on to participate and make great contributions to our work. He was especially notable as Editor of the Proceedings. It may sound like a simple job, but it isn’t.”

For example, as Editor of the ASCO Meeting Proceedings from 2000 to 2010, he went from overseeing the publication of 2,600 Annual Meeting abstracts in his first year to publication of 6,500 abstracts from a total of four meetings in his final year. Through his attention to detail and his diligence in pursuit of the highest publishing standards, he successfully transitioned the Annual Meeting Proceedings to become a supplement to the Journal of Clinical Oncology, greatly increasing the citation, discovery, and dissemination of its content.

Dr. Grunberg was especially skilled at rephrasing abstract conclusive titles into neutral language.

“Steve was genius at this,” Dr. Lichter continued. “He could turn a phrase and make it work. He was tireless to make sure the Proceedings were produced at the highest level of quality. I don’t remember him ever making a mistake. He was flawless.”

Dr. Grunberg was also an influential member of the in Northern New England Clinical Oncology Society (NNECOS), serving on the Board of Directors and as Past President.

“Although Steve was an academic oncologist, he worked tirelessly to realize the Mission of NNECOS, ‘To assure that the citizens of Northern New England have access to high-quality cancer care,’” said Denis Hammond, MD, who worked with Dr. Grunberg within NNECOS, and who is currently Chair of ASCO’s Government Relations Committee.  “He was instrumental in rewriting our bylaws to make our society function more effectively. Care and comfort of the patient was always his foremost concern, and he always reminded us that the aspect of cancer care patients most feared was the debilitating effects of cancer treatment. He was a pioneer in the field of supportive care. Physicians and patients around the world are the beneficiaries of his work.”

Dr. Grunberg actively participated in the National Cancer Institute clinical research network, first with the Southwest Oncology Group then with the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. He chaired multiple research protocols and participated in many other clinical research studies, the impact of which will have long lasting and beneficial effects for patients with cancer.

In addition to his academic and clinical pursuits, Dr. Grunberg was an accomplished thespian, performing in his local community theaters—Stowe Theatre Guild and Lyric Theatre—where he was also a board member.

But most of all, note his colleagues, Dr. Grunberg had the soul of a teacher and embraced every opportunity to educate students, residents, and fellows in medicine and oncology. He was a sought-after mentor, and took time to discuss the optimal treatment of patients with his colleagues. His passing is a loss for the entire oncology community.