In Memoriam - Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis

In Memoriam
Rodger L. Bick, MD, PhD, FACP — A Wonderful Friend,
Great Clinician, and Brilliant Educator
R
odger L. Bick, MD, age 66,
hematologist, researcher,
oncologist, author, and
educator, passed away on September 13, 2008. Rodger has left a
great legacy behind him and his
teachings and work will continue
to have an impact on the patient
care, teaching, and training programs in hemostasis and thrombosis along with applied and
translational research in this area.
Dr Bick was the founding President
of the International Academy of
Clinical and Applied Thrombosis
and was committed to education,
research, and patient care awareness in the management of hemostatic and thrombotic disorders. He fostered international interest and
collaboration to achieve his goal. Through the academy, he also offered a specialty certification in
Hemostasis and Thrombosis. His initiatives in
advancing education and research in this area will
continue to have an impact on the development of
new drugs and devices along with comprehensive
laboratory testing methods.
The son of a well-known physician, Jack A. Bick,
and loving mother, Pauline Bick, Rodger was born
in San Francisco and grew up in Madera, Calif.
After high school graduation in 1960, he served in
the United States Army & Reserves. He earned his
undergraduate degree with distinction from the
University of California at Berkeley and his medical
degree with honors from the University of California
at Irvine in 1970. He completed an internship in
medicine and a residency in internal medicine at the
Kern Medical Center, University of California at Los
Angeles (UCLA). During this time, he developed a
strong interest in the diagnosis and management
Clinical and Applied
Thrombosis/Hemostasis
Volume 15 Number 1
February 2009 5-7
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of bleeding and thrombotic disorders. He completed his training
with a fellowship in hematology/
medical oncology at the UCLA
Center for Health Sciences. There
he became involved in the understanding of the pathogenesis of
disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), antiphospholipid syndrome, cancer-associated thrombosis,
and therapeutic usage of plasma
proteins. In 1995, he received his
doctorate in physics/biochemistry
and pathophysiology from the
Academy of Medicine of the University Medical School in Bialystok, Poland, in recognition of his
pioneering work on the role of fibrinolysis in health
and disease.
Dr Bick relocated his clinical practice and
research program to Dallas in 1992 from his position at UCLA as Professor of Medicine to serve as
Medical Director of Oncology and Hematology of
the Presbyterian Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. He was a Clinical
Professor of Medicine and Pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and also
served as Director of the Dallas Thrombosis Hemostasis and Vascular Medicine Clinical Center. There
Dr Bick developed a comprehensive diagnostic center
for hemostatic and thrombotic disorders with a strong
translational research program. He focused on cancerassociated thrombosis and promoted the use of
anticoagulants in the management of these disorders.
It is his initial work that prompted the clinical community to develop guidelines for the management of
cancer-associated thrombosis. Dr Bick wrote many
articles and participated in various scientific and public forums to increase the awareness of this syndrome.
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Dr Bick held numerous academic positions
across the United States and abroad, including
Professor and Director of Hematology at the Royal
Hobart Hospital and University of Tasmania
School of Medicine in Hobart, Australia. He was
a visiting professor at numerous institutions,
including the Loyola University Medical Center in
Chicago, Ill, where he supervised several doctoral
students and participated in focused research programs on the development of newer anticoagulant
drugs.
During the span of his career, Dr Bick was
board certified in 5 medical specialties, including
board certification in thrombosis, hemostasis and
vascular medicine. He was a Fellow of the American
College of Physicians, the American Society of
Clinical Pathologists (ASCP), the International
Society of Haematology, the American Heart Association Councils, and he held many other fellowships and memberships in professional societies.
He was an active participant in the educational
programs of numerous professional societies
including the American Society of Hematology
(ASH), International Society on Thrombosis and
Haemostasis (ISTH), and International Union of
Angiology (IUA).
Throughout his career, Dr Bick was active in
dedicated educational symposia and workshops on
clinical and laboratory diagnosis of hemostatic
disorders sponsored by the ASCP and other professional organizations. Because of his reputation as
an excellent speaker and effective lecturer, these
academic affairs were always very well attended.
He particularly focused his teachings toward
clinicians and clinical laboratory scientists (medical
technologists). He became world renown for his
expertise in the clinical and laboratory diagnosis
and treatment of both DIC and the antiphospholipid
syndrome—two of the most difficult areas related
to thrombosis within the field of hematology.
He authored and/or coauthored more than 300
peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, manuals, and internet-based publications. He wrote
and/or was chief editor of 20 medical textbooks. He
served as editor in chief of the Clinical & Applied
Thrombosis/Hemostasis journal and served on editorial boards of several prestigious journals, including
the International Journal of Hematology.
Dr Bick was the Founder and President of the
International Academy of Clinical & Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis. During his distinguished career,
Dr Bick was the recipient of numerous awards and
distinctions. Two of his most honored awards
included the 1983 Service Award from ASCP and the
2004 ASH award for outstanding and meritorious
contributions to the understanding of cancerassociated thrombosis. He was selected as one of
2000 outstanding scientists of the 20th century by
the International Biographical Centre (IBC) in
Cambridge, England, for his outstanding contributions
to the understanding of thrombosis and hemostasis.
Rodger was a true renaissance man, whose
ancillary interests and talents outside of medicine
included classical music, playing the piano, proficiency in brass musical instruments, photography,
target archery, astronomy, astrophotography, and
ocean sailing. From early childhood, ocean sailing
became his lifelong passion. In 1996, he and his
brother, Paul, then 12-year-old daughter, Shauna,
and 4 other friends sailed on his 80-ft yacht, Shamaro, from California to Australia. He considered
that trip one of his finest adventures and achievements, which reminded him of the challenges he
had faced in his personal and professional life. After
retirement in 2004, he became active in the US
Coast Guard Auxiliary in Southern California,
where he was an instructor. He had recently transferred his coast guard membership to Texas, where
both he and his wife Marilyn were members of a
local US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla.
Rodger was a great admirer of the late
Dr Eberhard Mammen, who was the editor in
chief of the Seminars in Hemostasis and Thrombosis
journal. Rodger worked vigorously with Dr Mammen
on enhancing the impact of Seminars in increasing
the awareness of hemostatic and thrombotic issues
globally. He was a guest editor of several of the dedicated issues of Seminars on specific topics and contributed regularly to this journal. Together, Drs Bick
and Mammen also conducted numerous courses and
workshops at national and international levels that
covered state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic
areas. Their teachings will have a far-reaching
impact on the educational programs in this area in
years to come.
Rodger is preceded in death by his mother,
Pauline (Jensen) Bick; his father, Jack A. Bick; and
Marcy Bick (wife and mother of daughter Shauna
Bick). He is survived by his beloved wife, Marilyn
Bick; daughters, Michelle Bick Gage of Fort Worth,
Tex, and Shauna Bick, of Dallas, Tex; son-in-law, Chad
Gage, and grandson, Jack Gage; brothers, Michael
Bick of Ventura, Calif, and Paul Bick and Virginia
Bilher of Oxnard, Calif.
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In Memoriam
Rodger was a great friend to so many of us all
over the world and was also primarily responsible
for bringing most of us together. He fostered international collaborations and harmonization of teaching, research, and patient care programs through
his innovative approaches including scientific
meetings and other gatherings. He was a great
clinician, tackling some of the most difficult areas
in hematology with apparent ease and competence.
He remained very dedicated to his mission until the
very end of his life’s course. He will be missed not
only by his family but also by so many of his professional colleagues with whom he worked, students
whom he taught as well as those patients with
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complicated hemostatic disorders who benefited
from his great clinical skills.
Written on behalf of Dr Bick’s Family and Friends:
Jawed Fareed
Jeanine Walenga
Harry Messmore
Chicago, US
William Baker
Bakersfield, US
Marilyn Bick
Dallas, US
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