Philip J. DiSaia ’59

Philip J. DiSaia ’59, of Santa Ana, Calif.; Sept. 27. He completed a medical degree at Tufts and his residency at Yale, then continued in military service as Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, and completed his gynecologic oncology fellowship at MD Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute in Houston, Tex. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Genoa, Italy, after being granted an audience with Pope John Paul II. In 1976, he became chair for the department of obstetrics and gynecology at UC Irvine, where he established one of the preeminent institutions dedicated to women’s health. In addition to becoming a nationally recognized residency program, the department flourished with the establishment of four clinically directed and research-driven divisions in gynecologic oncology, maternal-fetal medicine, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, and urogynecology. His research focused on the immunology of tumor biology, the safety of estrogen replacement therapy among breast and endometrial cancer survivors, and the development of less disfiguring surgical approaches for vulvar cancer. He authored numerous clinical papers and textbooks, including Clinical Gynecologic Oncology, which is the most widely read textbook in the subspecialty and is currently in its ninth edition. He had been an associate editor of Gynecologic Oncology and Endocrine Therapy and Hyperthermia Oncology and served on editorial advisory boards of many other journals in his field. He served the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) in various roles for 30 years, including as an examiner in the certification process for specialists and subspecialists. He was a founding member of the Foundation for Excellence in Women’s Healthcare. In addition, he was a mentor to ABOG directors and volunteers. His international reputation resulted in appointments as special lecturer at the Univ.  of Tokyo (1989), visiting professor at the Univ. of Buenos Aires (1990), the Camillo Golgi Professor at the Univ. of Brescia (Italy) in 1991, and special lecturer to the Italian Society of Ob/Gyn in Genoa (1992). His numerous memberships included the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Radiology, American Society of Clinical Oncologists, the American Radium Society, the Society for Gynecological Investigation, and the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society. He was the recipient of several awards, including the UC Gold Medal, and was named the nation’s Cancer Fighter of the Year in 2004. He is survived by his wife, Patti; four sons and their spouses; and numerous grandchildren.