William Shapiro, MD, and Joan Rankin Shapiro, PhD, probably understand better than most couples that the key to solving problems is good communication: in marriage and in medicine. As a clinician and researcher, he has asked the questions, and as a human geneticist, she has searched for the answers. That sense of inquiry and collaboration between the Shapiros has led to remarkable discoveries in the field of neuro-oncology and left a lasting impression at Barrow Neurological Institute and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.
While the Shapiros have received numerous professional awards and honors in recognition of their contributions, they were recently honored jointly for their efforts in brain-tumor research. In November 2007, the couple received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO), the second such award given by the organization. The award recognizes pioneers in neuro-oncology clinical care and/or translational or basic research who have contributed significantly to the understanding and management of brain tumors, the training of the next generation of neuro-oncology investigators, and the care of patients afflicted with the disease.
“I’ve never put myself in the position of thinking that what I do is so earth-shattering. Bill is the person that needs to be honored,” says Joan. “He fights hard for the sick and the dying. That is why I have always worked in the lab. I would cry if I had to deal with patients.”
Bill sees the recognition as successful group achievement. “We’ve both impacted the experimental field and patient community.”
Drs. Joan and William Shapiro are establishing an endowed chair—the William R. and Joan Rankin Shapiro Chair in Neuro-Oncology esearch—to ensure ongoing brain tumor research at Barrow.
The Shapiros came to Barrow in 1989 from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York. At the time, Bill became the chair of the Division of Neurology, and Joan assumed the position of director of Neuro-Oncology Research.
Years of brain-tumor research
Bill started his career as a National Cancer Institute researcher, developing a brain tumor model that was used to screen chemotherapy agents for brain tumors and that led to the first approved chemotherapy treatment. He also was instrumental in creating the Brain Tumor Study Group, an international group of physicians devoted to developing brain-tumor treatments. At MSKCC, Bill developed the first neuro-oncology program in the country, conducted research, and ran a clinical program for patients with primary and metastatic brain tumors.
In Phoenix, he has continued to care for patients, participate in clinical trials and conduct ground-breaking brain-tumor research, including being the lead participant in the National Cancer Institute-sponsored study of the epidemiology of brain tumors. He is currently participating in six new clinical trials, consulting with pharmaceutical companies to develop new cancer drugs and working on a study to learn why brain tumors cause seizures.
Joan spent the first part of her career investigating inherited genetic abnormalities before turning to brain-tumor research in 1979. She was the first to report that brain tumors are heterogeneous (multiple tumor cell types within a single tumor) and to describe how those different cells react to cancer treatment.
Joan determined that such tumors could evolve differently. Thus, two patients with the same histopathological diagnosis could have tumors different in their cellular make-up and would respond differently to therapy.
As an investigator, Joan has received more than $14 million in government and private peer-reviewed grants, and is part of an elite group of scientists who have received funding for more than 20 years on a single grant application. She retired from the lab in 2000 and then served as vice president of Research and Development until August 2007.
Building a world-renowned brain-tumor research center
As scientists, the Shapiros have collaborated for more than 20 years and have been instrumental in building a world-renowned brain-tumor research center at Barrow. The two embrace the longevity of their working relationship and honor each other’s contributions as care pioneers. “We’re naturally recognized as a team and that is a good thing. We have always been supportive of each other,” Joan says. Bill adds, “We offer the medical and scientific com- munity a unique set of experiences. We have her research, my research and our independent pursuits.”
Despite investing countless hours studying brain tumors and finding effective treatments for the disease, it is not easy for either Shapiro to walk away—or say no to hospital executives who value the couple’s leadership, knowledge and influence. Both have resigned and then stepped back into new and previously held positions during the last two decades at St. Joseph’s. Currently, Bill is in a familiar role as the interim chair of Neurology, and Joan is the vice president of Clinical Research, a position she accepted in January 2008.
They also remain devoted to fostering the next generation of scientists and clinicians in neuro-oncology through education and mentoring. In 1989, Joan developed the Scientific Enrichment Program for Students, which enables promising high school, college and medical stu- dents to work in Barrow’s Neuro-Oncology Lab. She also still regularly visits K-12 students through her Kids Brains Matter Too program, which she created in 1999.
“I enjoy getting students excited about the questions,” she says. “It’s a payback system. I’ve had some wonderful mentors.”
The Shapiros’ lasting legacy: An endowed chair in research
In addition to his active clinical and lab work, Bill, who holds the Marley Chair in Neuro-Oncology, has built a neuro-oncology fellowship program and is training a fourth neuro-oncologist at Barrow.
As a legacy to their service and dedication to ongoing brain-tumor research, the couple decided in December 2007 to establish an endowed chair for neuro-oncology research through Barrow Neurological Foundation. “This represents our desire to give back and will allow Barrow to hire the best and the brightest scientist they can find to carry on research in brain tumors,” Bill says of their philanthropic gift. “We want Barrow to continue
to succeed and to health-recruit good people.”
Brain-tumor research has been a “24/7” lifestyle, according to Joan, but the Shapiros, who have four children and four grandchildren, find time to sail in Arizona and California. It is one activity that doesn’t lend itself to scientific discussions. “We’re too busy dealing with the elements and trying to stay alive,” Joan says.
The Shapiros are already collaborating on post-retirement plans, working together in their entrepreneurial venture JRS Research Consultants, a firm that focuses on developing research infrastructure and labs. “Neither of us,” says Joan, “will just walk away from this easily.” ■
