How I first met Dr. Morton K. Schwartz

Obituary

We are sad to announce the death of Morton K. Schwartz, whose 46-year tenure at Memorial Sloan Kettering was notable for both its length and its impact on the organization as a whole. Dr. Schwartz passed on February 22, 2017, after a long illness.

Dr. Schwartz was chairman of the Department of Clinical Laboratories, attending clinical chemist and member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and member of the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research in New York City. He was vice president for Laboratory Affairs and deputy general director of Memorial Hospital. He was also professor of Developmental Therapy and Clinical Investigation in the Sloan-Kettering Division of the Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences.

He received his BA degree in chemistry from Lehigh University (1948) and his MS (1949) and PhD (1952) from Boston University. For over 50 years, Dr. Schwartz has worked professionally to enhance the three R’s of success for clinical chemists: respect, responsibility and reward.

Dr. Schwartz held many leadership and advisory roles outside of MSK. He was president of AACC, president of the National Registry in Clinical Chemistry, chairman of the Food and Drug Administration Clinical Chemistry and Hematology Panel, a member of the National Cancer Institute Immunodiagnostics Study Section and a member of numerous NIH ad hoc study sections. He was secretary of the National Committee on Health Laboratory Services and secretary of the Committee of Scientific Society Presidents. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists, a member of the Board of the Registry of the ASCP, a member of the Evaluation Panel for the Analytical Chemistry Division of the National Bureau of Standards, chairman of the 1973 and 1983 AACC annual meetings and chair of the AACC New York Metropolitan Section on two occasions. He was chairman of the AACC Education Committee (1968–1973) and a leader in the improvement of clinical chemistry through education. He was a member of the Professional Affairs Committee (Commission), chairman of the IFCC Committee on Education and IUPAC Commission on Education of the Clinical Chemistry Division as well as Secretary of the IUPAC Division of Clinical Chemistry.

Dr. Schwartz was a member of the Scientific Council of the Association of Clinical Scientists, the Immunodiagnostics Committee of the International Union Against Cancer (IUCC) and the National Breast and Colon Cancer Task Force. He was a member of the Advisory Committee of the Professional Education Testing Service in the Development and Administration of Clinical Laboratory Proficiency Examinations under contract to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and a member of the Ligand Assay Committee and Chairman of the CEA Committee on the NCCLS. He served on the New York City’s Advisory Laboratory Committee.

Dr. Schwartz received numerous awards, including the AACC Past President’s Award, the AACC Van Slyke Award, the prestigious AACC Award for Outstanding Contributions through Service to the Profession of Clinical Chemistry, the AACC Award for Efforts in Education and Training, the Certificate of Merit of the New Jersey Section of AACC, the Wiley Medal and the Commissioner’s Citation of the Food and Drug Administration. He has authored or coauthored more than 385 publications, was coeditor of Advances in Clinical Chemistry y and was editor of a series of books on clinical and biochemical analysis. Dr. Schwartz was on the editorial boards of Analytical Letters, Annals of Clinical Science, Clinical Chemistry, Clinica Chimica Acta, Journal of Immunoassay, Cancer Investigation, Tumor Biology and International Journal of Biological Markers. In 2003, the AACC established the prestigious Morton K. Schwartz Award for Significant Contributions in Cancer Research Diagnostics.

Dr. Schwartz was a pioneer of automated clinical chemistry and one of the original investigators in tumor marker research. He was the first to describe automated methods for measuring enzymes in blood and directed the evaluation of many automated instruments used in clinical chemistry laboratories. During his career, he had many research interests, including studies of tumor markers and their use in predicting prognosis and in monitoring patients with cancer, evaluation of metabolic abnormalities after cancer surgery, which led to the development of a gluten-free diet in treatment of nontropical sprue and nutritional, and pharmacologic treatment of gastrectomy and intestinal resection malabsorption. His interest in clinical enzymology included studies of 5′-nucleotidase, phosphohexose isomerase and isoenzymes of lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase and other enzymes in serum, body fluids and tissues of cancer patients.

I first met Dr. Schwartz in 1966 at an American Chemistry Society meeting in Atlantic City. I was presenting a seminar on my thesis topic: effects of γ radiation on ribonuclease A.

This was a “test run” prior to my thesis defense, and Dr. Schwartz approached me after my presentation with questions and some reservations regarding my conclusions. We agreed to meet in his office at MSKCC to discuss his concerns. After a 2-h meeting discussing my research, he inquired about my future plans. I told him I was not sure but that I wanted an academic position.

Dr. Schwartz was Chief of Clinical Chemistry, and he suggested that a position at MSK would satisfy my desire to work in academia, teach and do research. I accepted the offer and reported for work on February 6, 1967. Dr. Schwartz had an international reputation for indentifying serum-based enzymes that can be used to detect and monitor cancer. He was completing his work on the development of a prostatic acid phosphatase assay and suggested I get involved in a project to isolate and develop an assay for 5′-nucleotidase. It was this experience that demonstrated the position impact of how a great mentor can effect the career of a “rookie”. Dr. Schwartz had the ability to set attainable goals, to overcome challenges and to develop and teach techniques to manage experimental design. He inspired and created optimism without micromanaging, and he knew how to ask insightful questions while being a patient listener. These are skills a young investigator needs to learn and apply to all aspects of their work. My investigation into how 5′-nucleotidase can be used as a specific indicator of metastatic cancer to the liver serves as an example of Dr. Schwartz’s ability to teach and direct research in an effective fashion. Within a few months, Dr. Schwartz instilled sufficient confidence in me to present our findings to the New York Academy of Science. Dr. Schwartz was a highly respected biochemist in the academy, and it was an honor to present before this body of scientists. That was the beginning of a long and satisfying relationship that was maintained for 40 years. Mentoring came naturally to Dr. Schwartz. Before there were well-organized training fellowship programs in clinical pathology that included training in clinical chemistry, Dr. Schwartz organized and set up a program at MSKCC to train pathology fellows from New York Hospital interested in clinical pathology. Over a period of 5 years he supervised the training of four pathologists in clinical chemistry.

Clinical chemistry will miss his exceptional leadership and innovative thinking.

Dr. Schwartz was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was married to Delia Corr and has two sons, Gary and Ronald, daughters-in-law Connie and Amy and two grandchildren, Brian and Katherine.

Martin Fleisher

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

New York (USA)

I would like to remember the figure of Dr. Morton K. Schwartz, a legendary clinical chemist, as one of the presidents of the International Society for Enzymology, formerly known as the International Society for Clinical Enzymology (ISCE), founded in Venice (Italy) on the 7th of April 1976 by my mentor, Angelo Burlina, and by other eminent laboratory professionals, including Morton.

Morton K. Schwartz was not only an eminent laboratory professional who provided seminal contributions to the development of cancer biomarkers but also a great man. After the death of Angelo Burlina, he accepted my invitation to deliver a lecture at the meeting I organized in Padova dedicated to the memory of my mentor.

I strongly believe that we have to save the memories of the “fathers” of our profession such as Morton, Gérad Siest, Angelo Burlina and Donald Moss who worked together to provide a future to clinical enzymology, cancer biomarkers and laboratory medicine.

Mario Plebani

Editor in Chief,

CCLM