In Memoriam: Trudy L. Bush (1949–2001)

Ellen Gold1 and Jennifer Kelsey2

1 Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA.
2 Department of Health Research and Policy, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.

On March 14, 2001, women's health research lost a valued investigator and significant contributor with the sudden death of Dr. Trudy Bush at the age of 52 years. With Trudy's passing at the height of her career, the epidemiologic community is deprived of a clear thinker, superb teacher, strong advocate on women's health issues, and truly fine human being.
Trudy L. Bush, 1949–2001

Trudy was born and reared in western Pennsylvania and did her undergraduate work at Penn State, to whose various athletic teams she remained intensely loyal for the rest of her life. She also received her doctorate in sociology and demography from Penn State and taught sociology at Shippensburg State College of Pennsylvania for several years. She then did postdoctoral work and received a Master of Health Science degree from the Johns Hopkins University, finding her true calling in the field of epidemiology. She went on to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, where she worked with the Lipid Research Clinics Program.

Trudy's seminal papers (using Lipid Research Clinics data) showing that all-cause mortality (1Go) and mortality from coronary heart disease (2Go) were substantially reduced among women on estrogen replacement therapy spawned decades of research in this area and generated thoughtful questions and lively debate among epidemiologists and clinicians alike. Investigators are still trying to determine whether this association is causal. Her inquiries in this area also spawned a lifetime of interest for Trudy in the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy and of other treatments for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

For the next 18 years Trudy held several positions, first at the Columbia University School of Public Health, then at Johns Hopkins (where she was still an adjunct professor of epidemiology and of gynecology and obstetrics at the time of her death), and finally in the Department of Epi-demiology and Preventive Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She participated in many studies pertaining to women's health, particularly regarding the effects of pharmaceutical agents and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in women. She wrote numerous papers on these topics, served on many national committees, testified before congressional committees, and gave a great many talks nationally and internationally to clinical, epidemiologic, and lay audiences. She facilitated transmission of research findings both to clinicians, through clinical journals, and to the nonscientific community, by appearing on news shows and being interviewed by such lay publications as Consumer Reports. She communicated scientific findings in a clear manner without using scientific jargon and without talking down to her audiences.

In all her teaching, research, and professional service, Trudy maintained the utmost integrity and gave the highest priority to the health and safety of women. In addressing this priority, she never shied away from controversy or relevant discourse. She was not afraid to speak her mind, and was very articulate when she did so. She received the Achievement Award for Clinical Research from the Society for the Advancement of Women's Health Research in 1996, a Research Recognition Award from the Foundation of Nursing of Maryland in 1995, and several lectureship awards.

Trudy also had a number of avocations, including amateur genealogist, bird-watcher, collector of Australian aboriginal art, and news junkie. She was a veritable font of information on comparative religion and World War II literature. Trudy had a great many friends and was always there when they needed her. Trudy's empathy, generosity, sense of humor, and infectious laugh helped her and her friends through difficult times. Among her greatest friends were her cats, dogs, and horse (in that order of preference), as well as the companion animals of her human friends. She was always ready to lend a hand to help animals, and her love of animals has been passed on to her daughter Emily, an avid equestrian.

Trudy was devoted to and is survived by her life partner, Dr. Sue Miller; their daughter, 14-year-old Emily; and her half-sister, Nancy Kreps Cover. Trudy will be greatly missed by them, as well as by her friends and colleagues and the epidemiologic community.

REFERENCES

  1. Bush TL, Cowan LD, Barrett-Connor E, et al. Estrogen use and all-cause mortality: preliminary results from the Lipid Research Clinics Program Follow-up Study. JAMA 1983:249:903–6.[Abstract]
  2. Bush TL, Barrett-Connor E, Cowan LD, et al. Cardiovascular mortality and noncontraceptive use of estrogen in women: results from the Lipid Research Clinics Program Follow-up Study. Circulation 1987;75:1102–9.[Abstract]




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