Photo courtesy of RPCI
Meir Wetzler, MD, Chief of the Leukemia Section at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) in Buffalo, New York, has died at the age of 60.
Dr Wetzler passed away on February 23, in a Denver, Colorado, hospital a little more than 2 weeks after a skiing accident.
He was nationally prominent in his field and served on the Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) Treatment Committee of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, helping set the standard of care for CML patients.
Originally from Israel, Dr Wetzler earned his medical degree at Hebrew University’s Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem and did his residency in internal medicine at Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot before coming to the US.
From 1988 to 1992, he served 2 fellowships—in clinical immunology/biologic therapy and medical oncology—at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He joined the Leukemia Division of RPCI in 1994.
Dr Wetzler’s colleagues said he worked tirelessly with cooperative groups and pharmaceutical companies to attract new trials to RPCI for the benefit of his patients.
“He gave a piece of himself in everything he did, from his research to his care for patients to his interactions with his team of colleagues,” said Kara Eaton-Weaver, RPCI’s Executive Director of the Patient and Family Experience. “Meir was a transformational leader who built a culture of empathy, compassion, integrity, and innovation.”
“He was like a father,” said Linda Lutgen-Dunckley, a pathology resource technician at RPCI. “Everybody was part of a team, and nobody was less important than he was. He felt everybody played their part on the team.”
Dr Wetzler is survived by his wife, Chana, and their 4 children: Mor, Shira, Adam, and Modi.
The Dr Meir Wetzler Memorial Fund for Leukemia Research has been established to benefit leukemia research. A portion of the donations will be used to plant a tree in his memory in RPCI’s Kaminski Park & Gardens. To donate directly, visit giving.roswellpark.org/wetzler.
To send a personal message to Dr Wetzler’s family, direct it to Jamie Genovese at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Department of Medicine, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY 14263. Messages can also be dropped off at RPCI’s Leukemia Center.
