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STUART QUAN, M.D. David Award winner Dr. Stuart Quan is a man of many talents and interests. His expertise and dedication to cancer patients at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and his feeling for young researchers has made a difference in the lives of many. "He's a very loved man. I am so lucky to know this man and live with him," said his wife, Victoria Quan, adding, "He loves to help young people, he's a mentor." To recognize the work of the surgeon who had a 51-year tenure at the hospital, the Board of Overseers and Managers of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has endowed the Stuart H.Q. Quan Chair in Colorectal Surgery at MSKCC. The new chair will support the research efforts of an innovative surgeon. Having chosen colorectal cancer surgery as his specialty, Dr. Quan has contributed much to the knowledge of the disease and has received many honors for his work. He and his colleagues were the pioneers in promoting pre-operative irradiation for cancer of the rectum, which improved the results of a cure for the malignant tumor. The technique was reported in the 1950s and is now routinely performed in cancer centers worldwide |
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"He chose colorectal cancer because he felt it was very challenging. He really was an innovator at a very young age," said Mrs. Quan, adding that her husband believes that patients should be given hope. He always told his patients the truth about their condition and he did emphasize the positive, according to his wife. A fellowship fund in neurobiology was started by Dr. Quan and his wife Victoria in 1986. The doctor's philanthropy began "quite by accident," according to Mrs. Quan who tells the story of how her husband was stopped in the street on his way home from work by a gentleman who wished to thank him for the excellent care he had given to his wife. The gentleman gave Dr. Quan a check for $10,000, telling him to use it in any way he wished for medical research. The money was used to establish the Stuart and Victoria Quan Fellowship Fund in Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School for the support of promising pre-doctoral students pursuing research in the neurosciences at HMS. To date, 17 Quan fellows have benefitted from the fund. "We draw enormous personal satisfaction from the knowledge that we are able to have a direct impact upon the future of brain research. But we also know that the success of this fund is deeply connected to the overwhelming support of our friends and colleagues." Dr. Quan was born in Oakland, California, the youngest of ten children. His father was a physician from China who practiced Chinese medicine in San Francisco. Dr. Quan was only three when his father passed away and he knew he wanted to become a doctor at the early age of six. After attending public schools in Oakland, he went to Stanford University for pre-med and then Harvard Medical School, both on scholarship. His intentions were to return to California to practice medicine but after graduating from Harvard Medical School, Dr. Quan had three more years of surgical training in Boston before he visited New York City. He applied for and accepted an appointment as an Assistant Resident in Surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and except for serving two years as a U.S. Air Force surgeon in France and in Libya, he worked continuously at the cancer center for over half a century. Dr. Quan also has had a couple of catchy nicknames over the years. "At Memorial Sloan-Kettering he was called the "Oriental Express" because he was gifted with speed in the operating room," said Mrs. Quan, adding, "God gave him wonderful hands. He didn't like to keep people under anaesthesia for a very long time." "He has a very gentle sense of humor. He is totally rounded. Among his many interests are history, opera and language. He just does all this in a very quiet way," said Mrs. Quan, during an interview that took place while Dr. Quan was off to an Italian lesson. The Quans live in Manhattan and have a home in Westhampton. |
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