Andrus professor of pediatric surgery and professor of cell biology M. Judah Folkman, M.D. ’57, died unexpectedly of a heart attack last week at age 74. Folkman, who headed the vascular biology program at the Harvard-affiliated Children's Hospital Boston, devised a new approach to treating cancer: stunting tumors' growth by cutting off their blood supply. Initially controversial, the idea eventually gained acceptance and is embodied in several cancer drugs now on the market.
Since the Boston Globe's White Coat Notes health blog reported the news, Folkman's colleagues, patients, and friends—more than 100 people in all—have posted comments, sharing their remembrances in a moving tribute to the physician-researcher.