The Editors and staff of The Oncologist lost a great friend and colleague earlier this year when Mike Haut passed away in June following a valiant battle with bladder cancer. As a friend of the Journal, Mike was always willing to do not just what was necessary to get the job done, but what was needed to set the Journal apart. He always had an encouraging word for struggling authors; he always cheered the editorial staff when he called to check in. In a word, he was generous.
Mike was the founding Secretary of the Society for Translational Oncology (STO). He believed strongly in the Society's mission, especially the educational imperative of bridging the “translational gap” between discovery science and delivery of care to patients. Mike was a tireless supporter of STO's continuing medical education program, drafting and updating much of the documentation that serves as the needs assessment of the Journal's CME program to this day. When STO sought full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education in 2010, Mike was instrumental in the process; his clear and fluid writing described the highlights of the CME program and showed it in its best light. Eloquent in conversation and diplomatic in criticism, Mike never failed to aid the program by reviewing articles and tests, providing clarity for a difficult paragraph, or simply inspiring us with his love for education.
Michael J. Haut, M.D.
We were all enriched by having known Mike. We reflect especially on his approach with patients, which was marked by humility and grace. His colleague and friend, Dave Mintzer, who cared for him to the end, said it best--that he “never forgot the person behind the disease.” He was truly “the embodiment of caring and compassion.”
A hematologist by training, Mike stood out as a leader in his field, directing the Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH) Sickle Cell Disease Program for 18 years, establishing a transition program and partnership with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and founding the Philadelphia Adult Gaucher's Disease Center in 1991. He also established the Special Coagulation Laboratory at PAH in 1981, to manage clotting problems in pregnant women, and in patients with hemostatic problems undergoing surgery.
Prior to joining PAH in 1979, Mike was an Army physician at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, serving as its chief of hematology from 1974 to 1979. In 1979, he was presented its Meritorious Service Medal.
After Mike retired from PAH in 2008, he remained active as a scientific and research grant reviewer. Over the past 30 years he was a reviewer for the NIH Hematology Study Sections, the Department of Defense Cancer Initiative Program, prostate and breast cancer grant review panels, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation breast cancer grant review panels.
Mike influenced hundreds of trainees and colleagues throughout his career and received a number of teaching awards, a testament to his passion for educating young doctors. His portrait, painted in 2009 after his retirement from PAH, hangs alongside other distinguished faculty in the halls of the hospital.
Surviving are his wife, Rosalie; three children, Elliott, Wendy, and Jonathan; two grandchildren, Arenal and Fletcher; and a brother, Lewis. As dedicated as Mike was to his patients, he loved his family. He was very proud of all of his children, and took endless joy in his adored grandchildren. It was a particular pleasure for him that Elliott chose to follow in his physician footsteps. Elliott did his surgical training at PAH and often shared patients with his dad.
A memorial lectureship has been established in Mike's name at PAH. Donations may be made to the Michael J. Haut Lectureship in Translational Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Medicine Development, 3535 Market St., Seventh Floor, Suite 750, Philadelphia 19104, or via www.pennmedicine.org/giving.