Clara D. Bloomfield
Encyclopedia
Clara D. Bloomfield, MD (born May 15, 1942 in Flushing
Flushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
, New York), is an American physician and cancer researcher. Her work has focused on the genetic changes that are present in certain types of blood cancers, and how those can be utilized to improve treatment for the affected patients.
Education
Dr. Bloomfield earned her B.A. from the San Diego State College, San Diego, California in 1963 and her M.D. from the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1968. She completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Chicago and a fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.
Professional career
Dr. Bloomfield was the first woman to reach the rank of a full professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota in 1980. In 1989, she became professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Oncology at the State University of New York at Buffalo. At the same time, she was chair of the Division of Medicine at Roswell Park Cancer InstituteRoswell Park Cancer Institute
The Roswell Park Cancer Institute is a comprehensive cancer research and treatment center located in Buffalo, New York. Founded in 1898 by Dr. Roswell Park, it was the first dedicated medical facility for cancer treatment and research in the United States. The facility is involved in drug...
.
In 1997, she moved to Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where she became director of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute
James Cancer Hospital
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute is part of The Ohio State University and one of the twenty-one National Comprehensive Cancer hospitals...
(OSUCCC-James). She held this position until 2003.
Currently, Dr. Bloomfield is a distinguished university professor and senior adviser at the OSUCCC-James. She is also a member of the Molecular Biology and Cancer Genetics Program, a professor of internal medicine, and she holds the William Greenville Pace III Endowed Chair in Cancer Research.
Research
Early in her career, Dr. Bloomfield focused on the study of chromosome abnormalitiesChromosome abnormalities
A chromosome anomaly, abnormality or aberration reflects an atypical number of chromosomes or a structural abnormality in one or more chromosomes. A Karyotype refers to a full set of chromosomes from an individual which can be compared to a "normal" Karyotype for the species via genetic testing. A...
in cancers of the hematopoietic system (leukemias
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
and lymphomas
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
). She and her co-workers identified several novel chromosome changes in leukemia and lymphoma, and discovered that these abnormalities are among the most important factors that determine a patient's prognosis. For example, Dr Bloomfield was involved in the discovery of the Philadelphia chromosome
Philadelphia chromosome
Philadelphia chromosome or Philadelphia translocation is a specific chromosomal abnormality that is associated with chronic myelogenous leukemia . It is the result of a reciprocal translocation between chromosome 9 and 22, and is specifically designated t...
in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a form of leukemia, or cancer of the white blood cells characterized by excess lymphoblasts.Malignant, immature white blood cells continuously multiply and are overproduced in the bone marrow. ALL causes damage and death by crowding out normal cells in the bone...
(ALL). She was also involved in describing the rearrangement of chromosome 16q22 in acute myeloid leukemia
Acute myeloid leukemia
Acute myeloid leukemia , also known as acute myelogenous leukemia, is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells, characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells that accumulate in the bone marrow and interfere with the production of normal blood cells. AML is the most common acute...
.
More recently, her work has focused on molecular changes (gene mutations and deregulated expression of genes and microRNAs) that occur in adults with acute myeloid leukemia. Dr. Bloomfield has published mire than 400 publications in peer-reviewed scientific jourals.
Dr. Bloomfield is a co-author of the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
(WHO) Classification of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues , and the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) guidelines on diagnosis and management of acute myeloid leukemia.
Personal life
Dr. Bloomfield is married to Dr. Albert de la Chapelle, a geneticist and professor in the Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics at The Ohio State University.Honors and Awards
Dr Bloomfield was elected a member of the Institute of MedicineInstitute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences commonly refers to the academy in the United States of America.National Academy of Sciences may also refer to :* National Academy of Sciences of Argentina* Armenian National Academy of Sciences...
in 2000. In 2011, she was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. She also is an elected member of the Association of American Physicians
Association of American Physicians
The Association of American Physicians is a medical society founded in 1885 by the Canadian physician Sir William Osler and six other distinguished physicians of his era, for "the advancement of scientific and practical medicine." Election to the AAP is an honor extended to individuals with...
and an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
.
Among the awards Dr Bloomfield received during her career are:
- The Joseph H. Burchenal Clinical Research Award from the American Association for Cancer ResearchAmerican Association for Cancer ResearchThe American Association for Cancer Research is the world's oldest and largest professional association to advancing cancer research. Based in Philadelphia, AACR focuses on all aspects of cancer research including basic, clinical and translational research into the etiology, prevention, diagnosis,...
(2004) - The Distinguished Service Award for Scientific Achievement from the American Society of Clinical OncologyAmerican Society of Clinical OncologyThe American Society of Clinical Oncology is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians of all oncology subspecialties who care for people with cancer. Founded in 1964 by Drs...
(ASCO) (2006) - The Henry M. Stratton Medal from the American Society of HematologyAmerican Society of HematologyThe American Society of Hematology is a professional organization representing hematologists. It was founded in 1958. Its annual meeting is held in December of every year and has attracted nearly 20,000 attendees. The society publishes the medical journal Blood, one of the most cited peer-review...
(ASH) (2008) - The David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award from ASCO (2009).
Sources
- National Library of Medicine. Biography: Dr. Clara D. Bloomfield
- List of publications authored by Clara. D. Bloomfield in MEDLINE: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed