Robert Peter Gale
Encyclopedia
Robert Peter Gale is an American physician and medical researcher. Leukemia
and other bone marrow
disorders (such as aplastic anemia
) have been the central theme of Gale’s basic scientific and clinical research
for over 35 years.
in 1966 and his M.D.
degree from the State University of New York
at Buffalo in 1970 (with Evan Caukins, Robin Bannerman and John Edwards). His postgraduate medical training (internal medicine
, hematology
and oncology
) was at the University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA) from 1970-1973 (with William Valentine and David Solomon). In 1976 he received a Ph.D.
in microbiology
and immunology
from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) following doctoral work focusing on cancer immunology
(with John Fahey). His postdoctoral studies at UCLA were funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Leukemia Society of America, where he was the Bogart Fellow and Scholar.
and David Golde). He also developed the bone marrow transplant program supported by the NIH. At UCLA, he was active in the Department of Psychology (with John Liebeskind and Yehuda Shavit), where he and his colleagues studied interactions between stress, immunity and cancer.
From 1980-1997, Gale was Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research
(CIBMTR), an organization of more than 400 transplant centers in over 60 countries worldwide working together to analyze and advance knowledge about blood cell and bone marrow transplants (with Mortimer Bortin and Mary Horowitz). In 1989-2003 Gale chaired the Scientific Advisory Board of the Center for Advanced Studies in Leukemia, a charity funding innovation leukemia research.
From 1986-1993, Gale was President of the Armand Hammer
Center for Advanced Studies in Nuclear Energy and Health, a foundation supporting research on medical aspects of nuclear issues. From 1985-1990 Gale was the Wald Scholar in Biomedical Communications at UCLA.
From 1993-1999, Gale was Senior Physician and Corporate Director of Bone Marrow and Blood Cell Transplantation at Salick Health Care (SHC), Inc. in Los Angeles (now Aptium Oncology), a subsidiary of Astra Zeneca. Gale was also responsible for developing cancer treatment guidelines (in collaboration with colleagues at RAND
and Value Health Sciences) and for studying medical aspects of managed cancer care.
From 2000-2004 he was Senior Vice-President for Medical Affairs at Antigenics Inc.
, in New York where he was responsible for design, implementation and analysis of clinical trials of cancer vaccines. He was also Senior Medical Consultant to Oxford Health Plans in areas of advanced medical technologies. From 2004 to 2007, Gale was Senior Vice-President of Research for ZIOPHARM Oncology in Boston, MA and New York, NY which he co-founded with Jonathan Lewis (oncologist)
. His focus was on developing and testing new cancer therapies. In 2007 Gale joined Celgene Corporation (Summit, NJ) where he is Executive Director of Clinical Research, Hematology and Oncology (with Jerome Zeldis). His activities include development and execution of clinical trials in blood and bone marrow cancers, transplantation and immune disorders. Since 2005 Gale has been a Visiting Professor of Haematoloy in the Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, Section of Haematology, Imperial College, London assigned to Hammersmith Hospital (Jane Apperley, John Goldman). He is an editor, co-editor and/or reviewer of many scientific journals in hematology, oncology, immunology, transplantation and internal medicine. Prof. Gale is regarded as a world expert on the medical response to nuclear and radiation accidents and has particpated in rescue efforts at Chenobyl, Goiania, Tokaimura< Fukushima and others (see below).
and posttransplant immune deficiency. He has worked extensively on alternate sources of hematopoietic stem cells including fetal liver transplants (with Richard Champlin)...
(biology, immunology and treatment), cancer immunology
and radiation
(biological effects and accident response). He has written on medical topics, nuclear energy
and weapons and politics of US-Soviet relations in articles for The New York Times
, Los Angeles Times
, Washington Post, USA Today
and Wall Street Journal. In addition to his academic publications, Dr Gale has written popular books on Chernobyl
and US nuclear energy policy. He has written parts of screenplays for and/or appeared in several movies including Chernobyl:The Final Warning (with Jon Voight
), Fat Man and Little Boy
(with Paul Newman
) and City of Joy
(with Patrick Swazye).
, Scientist of Distinction Award, Weizmann Institute of Science
, Distinguished Alumni Award from Hobart College and Intra-Science Research Foundation Award. He holds honorary degrees including D.Sc. from Albany Medical College
, L.H.D. from Hobart College and D.P.S from MacMurray College
. He received an Emmy award
for his work on a 60 Minutes
special report about Chernobyl.
to coordinate medical relief efforts for victims of the Chernobyl disaster
. In 1987, he was asked by the government of Brazil
to coordinate medical relief efforts for the Goiania accident
. In 1988, he was part of the U.S. medical emergency team sent in the aftermath of the earthquake in Armenia
. In 1999 he was asked by the government of Japan to help treat victims of the Tokaimura nuclear accident
. In 2011 Gale was called to Japan to deal with medical consequences of the Fukushima nuclear power station accident. He met with members of the Prime Ministers office onseveral occasions and has addressed the Diet on 3 occasions. Gale has also been a neutral war observer for the governments of Croatia
and Armenia and a medical consultant to the government of Tartarstan. Gale has received several awards for his humanitarian activities including the Olender Peace Prize, City of Los Angeles Humanitarian Award and Myasthenia Gravis
Foundation Humanitarian Award.
, New York
and Big Sky, MT with his wife Laura. They have 6 children between them in diverse sites and professions. Gale is active in marathon running, hiking, swimming, kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking and rock-and ice-climbing.
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 other bone marrow
Bone marrow
Bone marrow is the flexible tissue found in the interior of bones. In humans, bone marrow in large bones produces new blood cells. On average, bone marrow constitutes 4% of the total body mass of humans; in adults weighing 65 kg , bone marrow accounts for approximately 2.6 kg...
disorders (such as aplastic anemia
Aplastic anemia
Aplastic anemia is a condition where bone marrow does not produce sufficient new cells to replenish blood cells. The condition, per its name, involves both aplasia and anemia...
) have been the central theme of Gale’s basic scientific and clinical research
Clinical research
Clinical research is a branch of medical science that determines the safety and effectiveness of medications, devices, diagnostic products and treatment regimens intended for human use...
for over 35 years.
Education
Gale received his A.B. degree with honors in biology and chemistry from Hobart CollegeHobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...
in 1966 and his M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree from the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
at Buffalo in 1970 (with Evan Caukins, Robin Bannerman and John Edwards). His postgraduate medical training (internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
, hematology
Hematology
Hematology, also spelled haematology , is the branch of biology physiology, internal medicine, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and pediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases...
and oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
) was at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
(UCLA) from 1970-1973 (with William Valentine and David Solomon). In 1976 he received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
and immunology
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) following doctoral work focusing on cancer immunology
Cancer immunology
Cancer immunology is the study of interactions between the immune system and cancer cells . It is also a growing field of research that aims to discover innovative cancer immunotherapies to treat and retard progression of this disease...
(with John Fahey). His postdoctoral studies at UCLA were funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Leukemia Society of America, where he was the Bogart Fellow and Scholar.
Career
From 1973-1993, Gale was on the faculty of the UCLA School of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology where he focused on the molecular biology, immunology and treatment of leukemia (with Martin ClineMartin Cline
Martin J. Cline is Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles . He did postdoctoral training in hematology-oncology at the University of Utah and was at the University of California, San Francisco before going to UCLA. His research has been in cell biology, molecular...
and David Golde). He also developed the bone marrow transplant program supported by the NIH. At UCLA, he was active in the Department of Psychology (with John Liebeskind and Yehuda Shavit), where he and his colleagues studied interactions between stress, immunity and cancer.
From 1980-1997, Gale was Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research
Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research
The Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research, or CIBMTR, collaborates with the global scientific community to advance hematopoietic cell transplantation and cellular therapy research worldwide...
(CIBMTR), an organization of more than 400 transplant centers in over 60 countries worldwide working together to analyze and advance knowledge about blood cell and bone marrow transplants (with Mortimer Bortin and Mary Horowitz). In 1989-2003 Gale chaired the Scientific Advisory Board of the Center for Advanced Studies in Leukemia, a charity funding innovation leukemia research.
From 1986-1993, Gale was President of the Armand Hammer
Armand Hammer
Armand Hammer was an American business tycoon most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran for decades, though he was known as well as for his art collection, his philanthropy, and for his close ties to the Soviet Union.Thanks to business interests around the world and his...
Center for Advanced Studies in Nuclear Energy and Health, a foundation supporting research on medical aspects of nuclear issues. From 1985-1990 Gale was the Wald Scholar in Biomedical Communications at UCLA.
From 1993-1999, Gale was Senior Physician and Corporate Director of Bone Marrow and Blood Cell Transplantation at Salick Health Care (SHC), Inc. in Los Angeles (now Aptium Oncology), a subsidiary of Astra Zeneca. Gale was also responsible for developing cancer treatment guidelines (in collaboration with colleagues at RAND
RAND
RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces by Douglas Aircraft Company. It is currently financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations including the healthcare industry, universities...
and Value Health Sciences) and for studying medical aspects of managed cancer care.
From 2000-2004 he was Senior Vice-President for Medical Affairs at Antigenics Inc.
Antigenics Inc.
Antigenics Inc. is a biotechnology company founded in 1994 by Garo H. Armen and Pramod K. Srivastava. The company focuses on cancer vaccines, immunotherapeutics, adjuvants and infectious disease treatments. Antigenics became a public company in February 2000 on the NASDAQ exchange with the ticker...
, in New York where he was responsible for design, implementation and analysis of clinical trials of cancer vaccines. He was also Senior Medical Consultant to Oxford Health Plans in areas of advanced medical technologies. From 2004 to 2007, Gale was Senior Vice-President of Research for ZIOPHARM Oncology in Boston, MA and New York, NY which he co-founded with Jonathan Lewis (oncologist)
Jonathan Lewis (oncologist)
Jonathan J. Lewis MD, PhD, is a surgeon, biomedical researcher, and entrepreneur. He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. His family includes his parents, Maisie Lewis, a music educator, and Myer Lewis, a prominent barrister and human rights advocate, a sister Anne, and a brother Selwyn, a...
. His focus was on developing and testing new cancer therapies. In 2007 Gale joined Celgene Corporation (Summit, NJ) where he is Executive Director of Clinical Research, Hematology and Oncology (with Jerome Zeldis). His activities include development and execution of clinical trials in blood and bone marrow cancers, transplantation and immune disorders. Since 2005 Gale has been a Visiting Professor of Haematoloy in the Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, Section of Haematology, Imperial College, London assigned to Hammersmith Hospital (Jane Apperley, John Goldman). He is an editor, co-editor and/or reviewer of many scientific journals in hematology, oncology, immunology, transplantation and internal medicine. Prof. Gale is regarded as a world expert on the medical response to nuclear and radiation accidents and has particpated in rescue efforts at Chenobyl, Goiania, Tokaimura< Fukushima and others (see below).
Bone Marrow Transplantation
Gale has contributed greatly to basic science and clinical research in bone marrow transplantation where he made central contributions to understanding the immune-mediated anti-leukemia effects of transplants (graft-versus-leukemia [GvL]; with Mortimer Bortin and Mary Horowitz). He has also advanced understanding other complex immune effects of transplants in humans, like graft-versus-host diseaseGraft-versus-host disease
Graft-versus-host disease is a common complication after a stem cell transplant or bone marrow transplant from another person . Immune cells in the donated marrow or stem cells recognize the recipient as "foreign". The transplanted immune cells then attack the host's body cells...
and posttransplant immune deficiency. He has worked extensively on alternate sources of hematopoietic stem cells including fetal liver transplants (with Richard Champlin)...
Publications
Gale has published over 800 scientific articles and more than 20 books, mostly on leukemia (biology and treatment), transplantationOrgan transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
(biology, immunology and treatment), cancer immunology
Cancer immunology
Cancer immunology is the study of interactions between the immune system and cancer cells . It is also a growing field of research that aims to discover innovative cancer immunotherapies to treat and retard progression of this disease...
and radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
(biological effects and accident response). He has written on medical topics, nuclear energy
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
and weapons and politics of US-Soviet relations in articles for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Washington Post, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and Wall Street Journal. In addition to his academic publications, Dr Gale has written popular books on Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl or Chornobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. The city had been the administrative centre of the Chernobyl Raion since 1932....
and US nuclear energy policy. He has written parts of screenplays for and/or appeared in several movies including Chernobyl:The Final Warning (with Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
), Fat Man and Little Boy
Fat Man and Little Boy
Fat Man and Little Boy is a 1989 film that reenacts the Manhattan Project, the secret Allied endeavor to develop the first nuclear weapons during World War II. The film is named after the nuclear weapons known by the code names "Fat Man" and "Little Boy". The code names can be taken for joking...
(with Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
) and City of Joy
City of Joy
City of Joy is a novel written by Dominique Lapierre and a 1992 film directed by Roland Joffé.-Plot:The story revolves around the trials and tribulations of a young Polish priest, Stephan Kovalski, the hardships endured by a rickshaw puller, Hasari Pal in Calcutta , India and the experiences of...
(with Patrick Swazye).
Awards
Awards for his scientific achievements include the Presidential Award, New York Academy of SciencesNew York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
, Scientist of Distinction Award, Weizmann Institute of Science
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science , known as Machon Weizmann, is a university and research institute in Rehovot, Israel. It differs from other Israeli universities in that it offers only graduate and post-graduate studies in the sciences....
, Distinguished Alumni Award from Hobart College and Intra-Science Research Foundation Award. He holds honorary degrees including D.Sc. from Albany Medical College
Albany Medical College
Albany Medical College is a medical school located in Albany, New York, United States. It was founded in 1839 by Amos Dean, Dr. Thomas Hun and others, and is one of the oldest medical schools in the nation...
, L.H.D. from Hobart College and D.P.S from MacMurray College
MacMurray College
MacMurray College is a career-directed liberal arts college located in Jacksonville, Illinois. Its enrollment in fall 2011 was 548. It is from Springfield and from Chicago....
. He received an Emmy award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for his work on a 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
special report about Chernobyl.
Humanitarian Activities
In 1986, he was asked by the government of the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to coordinate medical relief efforts for victims of the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
. In 1987, he was asked by the government of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
to coordinate medical relief efforts for the Goiania accident
Goiânia accident
The Goiânia accident was a radioactive contamination accident that occurred on September 13, 1987, at Goiânia, in the Brazilian State of Goiás after an old radiotherapy source was taken from an abandoned hospital site in the city...
. In 1988, he was part of the U.S. medical emergency team sent in the aftermath of the earthquake in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. In 1999 he was asked by the government of Japan to help treat victims of the Tokaimura nuclear accident
Tokaimura nuclear accident
The Tokaimura nuclear accident , which occurred on 30 September 1999, resulted in two deaths. At that time, it was Japan's worst civilian nuclear radiation accident. The criticality accident occurred in a uranium reprocessing facility operated by JCO , a subsidiary of Sumitomo Metal Mining Co...
. In 2011 Gale was called to Japan to deal with medical consequences of the Fukushima nuclear power station accident. He met with members of the Prime Ministers office onseveral occasions and has addressed the Diet on 3 occasions. Gale has also been a neutral war observer for the governments of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Armenia and a medical consultant to the government of Tartarstan. Gale has received several awards for his humanitarian activities including the Olender Peace Prize, City of Los Angeles Humanitarian Award and Myasthenia Gravis
Myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating muscle weakness and fatiguability...
Foundation Humanitarian Award.
Personal life
Gale lives in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Big Sky, MT with his wife Laura. They have 6 children between them in diverse sites and professions. Gale is active in marathon running, hiking, swimming, kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking and rock-and ice-climbing.