HENRY C. PITOT, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Henry C. Pitot, Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, carried out his undergraduate studies at the Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia, receiving a B.S. in Chemistry in 1951. Upon completion of his medical degree at Tulane University in 1955, Dr. Pitot received a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Tulane, while training in pathologic anatomy at the Charity Hospital of Louisiana. Dr. Pitot then carried out postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Van R. Potter at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research. Since 1960 Dr. Pitot has been a member of the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, serving as the Director of the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research from 1973-1991. During his career at McArdle, Dr. Pitot led our department to compete successfully for a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grant, acted as program director for our predoctoral training grant (at the time the largest award by the NCI), and directed a major program-project grant on chemical carcinogenesis. Dr. Pitot also earned respect as an accomplished administrator outside of McArdle, serving as chair of pathology (1968-1971) and as acting dean of the Medical School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1971-1973).
Dr. Pitot’s research focused on the process of carcinogenesis and tumor cell growth. He has published over 500 scientific papers and is recognized as one of the world’s experts on tumor promotion. Dr. Pitot's pioneering studies on the regulation and quantitation of defective gene expression in the stages of initiation, promotion, and progression of liver cancer have provided fundamental insights into multistage carcinogenesis. His early studies demonstrated that the environmental regulation of gene expression in primary and transplanted hepatocellular carcinomas was defective and significantly different from that in normal and host liver (Annu. Rev. Biochem., 35: 335-368, 1966). These observations led to the development of methods for the identification and quantitation of preneoplastic lesions in the livers of carcinogen-treated rodents (Nature, 271: 456-458, 1978; Cancer Res., 42: 465-472, 1982). Analysis of the growth and development of these precursor lesions has made it possible to discriminate between the initiating and promoting activities of environmental chemicals or drugs (J. Toxicol. Environ. Health, 16: 389-402, 1985) and to compare directly their biological potencies (Environ. Health Persp., 76: 49-56, 1987). Such studies have shown that the dose-response for promoting agents is non-linear and that the biological activities of promoting agents vary over eight orders of magnitude. These discoveries have important implications for our ability to identify potential carcinogens and to evaluate the risk they pose for the human population. In parallel Dr. Pitot and his colleagues have made seminal contributions to isolating and maintaining strains of hepatocytes in culture (J. Cell. Physiol., 147: 495-504, 1991; In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. 31: 867-870, 1995). These studies provide the basis for characterizing those cells that metabolize the bulk of the carcinogenic compounds to which we are exposed.
Dr. Pitot has received numerous awards for his research accomplishments, including the Parke-Davis Award for Meritorious Research in Experimental Pathology (1968), the Lucy Wortham James Laboratory Research Award (1981), the Esther Langer Award in Cancer Research (1984), the UW Hilldale Award (1991), the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology Founder’s Award (1993), the UW Medical School Emeritus Faculty Award in Basic Science (2001), the Society of Toxicology Distinguished Lifetime Toxicology Scholar Award (2003), and the Gold-Headed Cane Award of the American Society for Investigative Pathology (2005). He received an Honorary Doctor of Science from Tulane University in 1995.
Dr. Pitot has been an active member of many professional societies including AAAS (Fellow, 1983-present), AACR, American Association of Pathologists (co-President 1976-1977), New York Academy of Sciences (Fellow, 1971-present), Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (Council member, 1974-1978, 1986-1990, President-elect, 1989, 1990, President, 1992, 1993), and the Society of Toxicology. He has served on 13 editorial boards and numerous review panels and advisory boards including the Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Fund Board of Directors, the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, and the EPA Environmental Health Committee. He has played a major role in formulating cancer research policy in this country, serving as a member of the American Association for Cancer Research Board of Directors (1969-1972), a member (1976-1982) and chair (1979-1982) of the National Cancer Advisory Board, a member (1983-1987) and chair (1986-1987) of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Toxicology Program, a member of the American Cancer Society’s Board of Directors (1984-1992), and as a member of the President's Cancer Panel (1992-1995), the country's most distinguished cancer advisory committee and the oversight body for the National Cancer Institute. For his many contributions to the American Cancer Society, Dr. Pitot was awarded the American Cancer Society’s Wisconsin Division Bronze Medal (1988) and Frank Wilcox Award (1998), the national Distinguished Service Award (1989), and in 1991 was granted Honorary Life Membership.
Dr. Pitot's long-standing commitment to teaching is demonstrated by his having trained over 100 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who have gone on to productive careers in academic or industrial research. He has also been an outstanding classroom teacher, having taught thousands of undergraduate, graduate and medical students through many different forums. Dr. Pitot's course, Oncology 401 (Introduction to Experimental Oncology), which he has taught with distinction for over 40 years, continues to be a popular choice for undergraduates and beginning graduate students. His textbook, "Fundamentals of Oncology", in its 4th edition, is read throughout the world as an outstanding introductory text for students interested in basic cancer biology. Anecdotal comments by his students often rank him as among the most engaging and outstanding teachers within the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Pitot is one of those rare individuals with the capacity to bridge the ever-widening gap between clinical medicine and basic research. This exceptional quality has made him a sought-after collaborator and speaker at scientific national and international meetings. It has also made him a popular speaker to the lay public. Dr. Pitot has been an advocate for the cancer research community by actively participating in countless outreach activities, donating his time to discuss cancer research and prevention with both local and national organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
In addition to his own research focus, Dr. Pitot provides extraordinary support to all in McArdle who work with animal models. His unlimited contributions have included reading slides from all of the animal experiments in the McArdle Laboratory, personal consultations with numerous investigators, and management of the core histology resource. It is on the shoulders of such giant contributors like Dr. Pitot that McArdle has been built.
Dr. Pitot is a world leader in the field of carcinogenesis, a well-respected teacher and mentor, an accomplished administrator, and a valued colleague. We are pleased to honor Dr. Henry C. Pitot at the 2011 McArdle Symposium on Cancer.