The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is mourning the death on November 28 of Dr. Charles Coltman Jr., a longtime advocate of breast cancer research and co-founder of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS).
Coltman earned his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1956 and went on to complete his medical training at Ohio State University. He eventually became chief of hematology and oncology at the Wilford Hall U.S. Air Force Medical Center in San Antonio.
In 1977, Coltman moved to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where he was medical director of the Cancer Therapy and Research Center. Soon thereafter, he and Dr. William McGuire launched SABCS to promote breast cancer research.
As a member of the AACR, Coltman served as co-director of the association's Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop, chair of the State Legislative Committee, and co-chair of the Texas (West) State Legislative Committee, among other leadership positions.
"His work as a co-founder of SABCS will be remembered forever, as the research presented each year in the symposium has translated into better outcomes for patients suffering from breast cancer," said Dr. Margaret Foti, PhD, CEO of the AACR.
