Clara D. Bloomfield, a Distinguished University Professor and a former director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State University, died on March 1 from complications of a fall she suffered at home. She was 77 years old.
Dr. Bloomfield was well known for her more than 50 years of groundbreaking research in blood cancers, particularly acute myeloid leukemia. She revolutionized science-based, personalized treatment for patients with these diseases. Her work led to genetics being included in the diagnosis of acute leukemias. Dr. Bloomfield was the first scientist to prove that adults with acute leukemia, including the elderly, could be cured with chemotherapy.
Professor Bloomfield earned her medical doctorate at the University of Chicago in 1968. She then trained in internal medicine and medical oncology at the University of Minnesota. In 1989 she became professor and chair of the department of medicine at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute and chief of the Division of Oncology at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Dr. Bloomfield joined the faculty at Ohio State University in 1997. During her tenure at Ohio State, Dr. Bloomfield held the William Greenville Pace III Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and initially served as director of the Division of Hematology-Oncology in the College of Medicine. She was an active proponent of increasing the opportuities for women in science and medicine.
Professor Bloomfield was a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.