Dear Colleagues
Although better understanding of cancer immunology and advances associated with immunotherapy offer great hope for the field of neuro-oncology, we are saddened that Andrew T. Parsa, MD, PhD, a pioneer of this area for our field, tragically passed away unexpectedly this past year on April 13, 2015. At the time, Andrew (Andy) was the chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University.
We remember Andy as a distinguished scholar and an extraordinarily talented neurosurgeon. Known for his research on brain tumor immunology, he published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, chapters, and monographs in the past decade.
Andy joined Feinberg in 2013 after serving as a professor and vice chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California at San Francisco, where he led an innovative approach to treating brain cancer by removing patients′ tumors and creating individual vaccines from their malignant masses. In July, his team released results from the study's second phase, and his research is currently in its third phase of clinical trials at Feinberg.
Andy completed his undergraduate degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale University. He pursued medical and graduate degrees at Downstate Medical Center and later finished his neurosurgical training at Columbia University.
Andy strove for and achieved excellence in all his endeavors: as a neurosurgeon, researcher, educator, administrator, and, most importantly to him, as a husband to his wife, Charlotte, and father to his two daughters and one son.
He was a longtime member of the Society for Neuro-Oncology and previously served on the Society's Board of Directors. His passing is a tremendous loss to our community. He touched the lives of many, and will be sorely missed, as both a colleague and a friend.
We respectfully dedicate this Supplement to our friend and colleague, Andy.