Remembering a Revered Colleague: The Miller School is mourning the death of William J. Harrington Jr., M.D., professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology Oncology, who died from a cerebral hemorrhage on January 29, at 54.
Harrington was a leading authority on viral-induced cancers and co-leader of the Viral Oncology Program at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. His research uncovered a novel approach to attacking viral-mediated tumors that are resistant to conventional chemotherapy, and he had collaborated with investigators in Brazil to develop new therapies against Epstein Barr-related lymphoma. Colleagues Glen Barber, Ph.D., co-leader of the Viral Oncology Program at Sylvester, and Juan C. Ramos, M.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine, remember Harrington as a “revered” scientist with a passion for treating patients with HIV who developed viral lymphomas. Harrington was also co-director of the William J. Harrington Medical Training Programs for Latin America and the Caribbean. The program, started by his father William J. Harrington Sr., former chair of medicine, trains top-tier medical graduates from Latin America and the Caribbean. “He lived to ensure that his father’s legacy continued, but he worked to build his own legacy,” says Ramos, who adds that Harrington “never stopped, he never really stopped. He was always Bill.” Harrington is survived by his wife, four children, one grandchild, his mother, a sister, and two brothers, including Thomas Harrington, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the Miller School. |
