In Memoriam: William F. Dove, Marc F. Hansen, Stanley L. Inhorn

April 28, 2025
VOL 27 NO 1
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William F. “Bill” Dove, Sr., PhD

William Dove
William F. Dove

A world-class scientist and well-respected teacher and mentor, William F. “Bill” Dove, Sr., PhD, passed away on January 27, 2025, at age 88. A professor emeritus of oncology and medical genetics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH), Dove devoted 60 years to research excellence and to fostering connections among basic scientists and clinical investigators at all levels.

“Bill was an exceptional leader and teacher,” says Paul Lambert, PhD ’85, professor and chair of oncology. “He tirelessly sought to bring people together to stimulate the best possible science at UW–Madison.”

Born in Maine, Dove spent part of his childhood in the Midwest and earned a doctorate in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Cambridge University, England, where he met Alexandra Shedlovsky, PhD, who became his wife and scientific partner.

In 1965, Dove joined SMPH’s McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, where he remained for his entire career. His research demonstrated the use of elegant genetic approaches to uncover critical biological questions and a willingness to pursue any path — from physical chemistry to embryology — to answer those questions. His research helped translate genetics knowledge into solutions for medical problems.

He led the Cancer Genetics and Genomics Program for the UW Carbone Cancer Center for more than a decade and directed the Genetics Training Grant for over 15 years. He provided a rich training environment for more than 50 students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom have gone on to research positions in academia and industry.

Research in the Dove laboratory resulted in more than 200 peer-reviewed publications. He received numerous awards, including the Harold P. Rusch Award for Translational Cancer Research at UW–Madison and a MERIT Award from the National Cancer Institute. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Nationally, he participated in numerous study sections, advisory committees, and editorial boards.

Marc F. Hansen, MD

Marc Hansen
Marc F. Hansen

Known as the founder of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH), Marc F. Hansen, MD, passed away on February 5, 2025, at age 94.

Hansen tirelessly advocated for the incorporation of family medicine into hospital training programs, finding a willing partner in St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, under Sister Rebecca Wright’s leadership. His early collaboration with then-state representative Tommy Thompson resulted in state funding for family medicine training, a legacy that continues today. These efforts established UW–Madison as having one of the first 15 family medicine training programs in the United States.

Hailing from Marshfield, Wisconsin, Hansen was on a scholarship at Harvard University when he decided to pursue a career in medicine. During medical school, he worked on a summer project with a general practitioner in Ripon, Wisconsin, where he realized the importance of the generalist physician.

He earned his medical degree from Harvard; completed a residency in Boston and at UW–Madison; and worked as a pediatrician in the U.S. Army. Next, at SMPH, he held long-time joint appointments in the DFMCH and the Department of Pediatrics. He revived the Department of Pediatrics’ Well Baby Clinic and created the University Child Health Service — a team-based teaching program that included pediatricians, nurses, social workers, and therapists. Other specialists saw value in serving families collaboratively, and the University Family Health Service was born.

“Dr. Hansen was a visionary who saw the importance of interprofessional, team-based care in the early 1970s. This is something we are just now fine-tuning in our community clinics,” says David Rakel, MD, chair of the DFMCH.

Hansen also led the U-Care health maintenance organization and played an instrumental role in founding the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. Generations of physicians draw inspiration from Hansen’s life and work.

Stanley L. Inhorn, MD (PG ’58)

Stanley Inhorn
Stanley L. Inhorn

Stanley L. Inhorn, MD (PG ’58) — a former leader of the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s (SMPH) Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine — passed away on February 19, 2025, at age 96.

He earned his medical degree at Columbia University Medical School in New York City. Knowing that the WSLH was the first state public health laboratory to be located on an academic campus, Inhorn moved to Madison, Wisconsin, in 1953 to pursue a five-year internship and residency in pathology at UW Hospital (now UW Health). He served for two years in the U.S. Navy as a doctor on an amphibious troop transport in California, followed by a decade of service in a Naval Research Reserve Company at UW–Madison.

Inhorn became an assistant professor of pathology and the WSLH assistant director in 1960 and director in 1966. In 1979, he left that role to create and lead the UW Medical School’s (now SMPH) Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. He returned to the WSLH and retired as its medical director in the late 1990s. During his lengthy career, Inhorn pursued many lines of medical research and public health interventions. He had a major impact on the WSLH and its role in the state and nation, and on health care in the United States.

He promoted the new Pap smear test; created the WSLH Cytogenetics Laboratory, which identified trisomy 13; helped the American Cancer Society determine acceptance of low-cost mammography screening; played a major role implementing Medicare and laboratory quality assurance practices; and chaired the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention task force that developed proficiency testing standards. Inhorn received the Association of Public Health Laboratories’ Gold Standard Award and Lifetime Achievement Award.

In Memoriam

Walter R. Schwartz, MD ’55
October 4, 2024
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

James J. Tydrich, MD ’62
December 31, 2024
Grafton, Wisconsin

John E. Hamacher, MD ’64
December 29, 2024
Verona, Wisconsin

Joseph H. Herzberg, MD ’65
June 20, 2023
Novato, California

Stephen F. Wagner, MD ’65
March 2, 2024
Marshfield, Wisconsin

Theodor Habel, MD ’66
September 21, 2024
La Crosse, Wisconsin

Brian P. Moore, MD ’68
January 21, 2025
Appleton, Wisconsin

Ronald H. Goldschmidt, MD ’70
July 22, 2024
San Mateo, California

John M. Rohr, MD ’72
January 31, 2025
Brookfield, Wisconsin

Thomas H. Williams, MD ’75
September 27, 2024
Pewaukee, Wisconsin

Michele A. Andrade, MD ’97
July 2, 2024
Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Former Faculty Members

William F. “Bill” Dove, Sr., PhD
January 27, 2025
Madison, Wisconsin

Marc F. Hansen, MD
February 5, 2025
Madison, Wisconsin

Stanley L. Inhorn, MD (PG ’58)
February 19, 2025
Madison, Wisconsin

Stuart J. Updike, MD
January 25, 2025
Madison, Wisconsin

Walter R. Sundstrom, MD
February 25, 2025
Madison, Wisconsin