The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center announced that Martin D. Abeloff, M.D., the chief oncologist and director of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, died September 14 of leukemia.

“Marty was that iconic Hopkins physician, scientist, educator, leader and good citizen rolled into one,” said Edward D. Miller, M.D., Dean/CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine.  “He was there for his patients, his residents and fellows, his colleagues and at so many challenging times, the institution he graced for so long.”

Abeloff, 65, was an international authority on the treatment of breast cancer and a great director. During Abloff’s direction John Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center doubled the size of the center’s faculty, increased research funding sixfold since 1992, and ranked among the nation’s top three cancer centers in U.S. News & World Report surveys.

He also was instrumental in bringing the largest single gift to Johns Hopkins, the $150 million donation from philanthropist and fashion entrepreneur Sidney Kimmel, for whom the cancer center is now named.

“He was the ultimate role model,” said friend and Hopkins colleague Stephen Baylin, M.D., Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor of Oncology and Medicine, and deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. “What he didn’t know, he took the time to learn.  And with a combination of qualities best summarized as wisdom, he helped transform both the treatment of cancer and the way that Johns Hopkins delivers that care.  These are his legacies.”

Martin Abeloff, born in Shenandoah, Pa, received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins in 1966 and he joined the Hopkins oncology faculty in 1972, focusing on lung and breast cancer research. He was also the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and chairman of the FDA Oncology Drug Advisory Committee.