Samuel M. Mccann
Dr. Samuel M. McCann, pioneer in neuroendocrinology, passed away recently at the age of 81. Dr. McCann earned his undergraduate degree at Rice University and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his internship and medical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital before returning to the University of Pennsylvania as an instructor and then full professor of physiology. In 1965, Dr. McCann joined the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School as chairman of the Department of Physiology. Dr. McCann went on to hold appointments as a distinguished chair in the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and professor of physiology at Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans. During his career, Dr. McCann was responsible for numerous important observations that had lasting effects on the neuroendocrine field. These included experiments that demonstrated the existence of neuropeptides secreted by the hypothalamus and that were responsible for the control of anterior pituitary functions. These findings established the role of vasopressin in the control of adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion and proved the existence of luteinizing hormone-releasing factor in the basal middle hypothalamus and of follicle stimulating hormone-releasing factor (FSHRF), growth hormone-releasing factor (GHRF), and growth hormone inhibiting factor (GHIF or somatostatin). Dr. McCann published over 700 publications, served as editor for several books, and was editor-in-chief of Neuroendocrinology. Dr. McCann was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Science, and the Council of the American Physiological Society and the Endocrine Society. He served as president of the International Neuroendocrine Federation, the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, the International Society of Neuroendocrinology, and the International Society of Neuroimmunomodulation.
Stephen E. Straus
Dr. Stephen E. Straus, the first director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), passed away recently at the age of 60. Dr. Straus, who also served as senior investigator in the Laboratory of Clinical Investigation at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), led the NCCAM from 1999 to 2006. Dr. Straus earned his bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He then went on to serve as a fellow of infectious diseases at Washington University in St. Louis before joining the faculty of the National Institutes of Health in 1979. Dr. Straus was a member of the Association of American Physicians, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Clinical Research Roundtable of the National Academies' Institute of Medicine. He was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal for innovative clinical research of the US Public Health Service and the Health and Human Services Secretary's Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Straus, board certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases, published over 400 original research articles and edited multiple books. Acting Director of the NCCAM Dr. Ruth L. Kirschstein said, “As the founding director of NCCAM from 1999 to 2006, Dr. Straus built a comprehensive research enterprise, championing the efforts to establish the efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices while upholding the rigorous standards of science for which the NIH is known.”