On Sept. 21, several people who have worked with Thomas A. Waldmann, M.D., over the years gathered to celebrate his 70th birthday. The celebration took place at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, where Waldmann began his career in 1956. He is now chief of the metabolism branch at the National Cancer Institute. Speakers included NCI director Richard Klausner, M.D., NCI deputy director Alan Rabson, M.D., and 10 other prominent scientists.
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The day was not only a celebration of Waldmanns birthday and his achievements, it was also a celebration of the unique role that the NIH has played in advancing medical knowledge and influencing the treatment of disease.
When Waldmann came to the NIH in 1956, the clinical center was new. The first patient had been admitted only 3 years before. At the time, placing research laboratories across the corridor from patients rooms embodied a new concept in clinical research.
Former NCI director Samuel Broder, M.D., who worked with Waldmann, perhaps best expressed the thoughts of those in the audience. He showed a slide of a photograph of the staff of the metabolism branch taken 25 years ago. "Theres Tom Waldmann over there on the right," he said. "You probably dont recognize him. He was older then. He is younger now."
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