Memorials: Peter Grimm, MD and Jay Cohen, MD
BY MARK SCHOLZ, MD
I am sad to report the passing of two giant contributors in the prostate cancer realm, Dr. Peter Grimm and Dr. Jay Cohen.
Dr. Grimm was the Director of the Prostate Cancer Center of Seattle which pioneered seed implantation for prostate cancer. He was instrumental in establishing the Seattle Prostate Institute in 1997. Along with his colleagues, Dr. John Blasko and Dr. Haken Ragde, he trained over 6000 physicians worldwide in how to administer seed implants. Their team has treated over 10,000 patients since 1985. Over one thousand centers now perform seed implantation, which is now a treatment of choice for many men with prostate cancer. Dr. Grimm completed his graduate training in radiation oncology at UCLA.
Dr. Grimm’s technical endeavors, such as the development of six US patented devices, have led to continuous improvements in the equipment widely used in prostate brachytherapy. He has served as one of fifteen physicians on the Medicare Practicing Physicians Advisory Board in Washington DC and served on the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology economic committee. He was the CEO of ProQura, and served on advisory boards for many seed implant companies. As lead editor, Dr. Grimm and members of the Prostate Cancer Results Study Group published a collaborative book on prostate cancer, The Prostate Cancer Treatment Book. His curriculum vitae included over 80 scientific articles and book chapters on prostate cancer.
Dr. Grimm received an Outstanding Achievement awards from the American Brachytherapy Society, Midwestern University, and the Northwest Osteopathic Foundation. Born and raised in Seattle, he had a lifelong passion for preserving wild salmon. He was a board member of Long Live the Kings, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving wild salmon in the Northwest. In a cooperative effort with the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group and Washington State Department of Wildlife, he has released over 3 million wild salmon. He also serves as a board member for Pacific Northwest College. He leaves behind his spouse Dawn Winters, PhD and two children, Robyn Vera, DO a radiation oncology physician in Olympia Washington and Justin Grimm, an IT specialist.
I am also saddened to report that Dr. Jay S. Cohen passed away in December 2015. My interactions with Dr. Cohen were related to his excellent book on prostate cancer: Prostate Cancer Breakthroughs. However, outside of the prostate cancer world, his researching and writing skills were eclectic and broad. Among his many and varied interests were his extensive research on the causes of medication side-effects. He published his findings in eight books, leading medical journals, and articles and publications such as Newsweek, Bottom Line Health, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Consumer Reports, Wall Street Journal. Another of his books, Over Dose: The Case Against the Drug Companies was favorably reviewed by the Journal of the American Medical Association. Dr. Cohen was an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry and the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of the Erythromelalgia Association, and a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. He lived in Del Mar, CA for over 40 years. He is survived by his son Rory Cohen and daughter-in-law Alana Cohen, and a nephew, Hal Cohen.
Article originally posted February 23, 2016, on Prostate Snatchers: The Blog, by Mark Scholz, MD
MORE ABOUT DR. SCHOLZ:
A board-certified medical oncologist, Mark C. Scholz, MD, serves as medical director of Prostate Oncology Specialists Inc. in Marina del Rey, CA, a medical practice exclusively focused on prostate cancer. He is also the Executive Director of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute. He received his medical degree from Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Dr. Scholz completed his Internal Medicine internship and Medical Oncology fellowship at University of Southern California Medical Center. He is the co-author of the book Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers: No More Unnecessary Biopsies, Radical Treatment or Loss of Potency. He is a strong advocate for patient empowerment.