Nathan Berger, MD: In Memoriam (1941–2024)

If you were part of the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Medical School and University Hospitals (UH) in Cleveland, you likely heard of Dr. Nathan (Nate) Berger, M.D., the founding director of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. Berger passed away on June 15, 2024, after a 41-year career at CWRU. Berger completed his medical education at Drexel University College of Medicine/Hahnemann University in 1966, his internal medicine residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospitals in 1968, a research fellowship at NIH in 1971, and a hematology fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 1973. Following his training, Berger joined CWRU in 1983; he was a distinguished university professor and a professor of medicine, oncology, biochemistry, genetics, and genome sciences. He directed the Hematology/Oncology Division of CWRU’s School of Medicine and founded and directed the CWRU/Ireland Cancer Center, which achieved cancer center status from the NCI in 1987 and was designated as an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center a few years later. Berger also served as the dean of the CWRU School of Medicine (1995–2002), and he was instrumental in building the university’s Gastrointestinal Malignancies Specialized Program of Research Excellence (GI SPORE) and the Barrett’s Esophagus Research Network. Those who had the opportunity to work with Berger recall his dedication, leadership, and service, creating multiple research programs and supporting others’ career development.We had the good fortune to work with Berger at different times during his career. One of us (Nebeling) first met him in 1988 as a CWRU graduate student and experienced firsthand his generosity, enthusiasm, and dedicated support for students and their education, while expecting them to tackle challenging research and pilot successful projects. All of us also had the opportunity to work together on NCI’s Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) initiative (2005–2016). Berger was the principal investigator for the Case TREC—one of us (Schmitz) was a co-investigator for the University of Minnesota TREC, and the other (Nebeling) served as the NCI scientific program director. It was a productive and enriching experience that inspired training workshops in energy balance, obesity, and cancer that remain active today. As a result of the TREC collaboration, Berger developed and championed a textbook, serving as the editor. The textbook Cancer and Energy Balance, Epidemiology and Overview was published in 2010 and was well received. It then evolved into a 13-volume series addressing related topics that Berger developed and edited/co-edited between 2010 and 2019. Another connection occurred more recently with NCI’s Exercise and Nutrition Interventions to Improve Cancer Treatment-Related Outcomes (ENICTO) initiative (2022–current). Schmitz and Berger were principal investigators on THRIVE-65, one of four trials that make up the ENICTO initiative. This work follows naturally from the TREC initiative efforts by focusing on the effectiveness of exercise and nutrition interventions on cancer treatment outcomes.Berger was a generous mentor and a knowledgeable, insightful, and learned colleague. He was a scientist with whom you wanted to collaborate. His talents were many, both in developing excellent research grants and projects and in supporting career development for the many students, trainees, and investigators who connected with him. Berger never stopped challenging others to learn and was an enthusiastic supporter of transdisciplinary cancer research. His sense of humor was legendary, with humorous insights offered in his signature baritone voice. He would call to discuss projects and often would offer life advice along with his scientific insights.Berger was highly regarded within the UH system in Cleveland and was recognized by the creation of the Berger Service in Medicine, one of the Department of Medicine’s in-patient services. Throughout his life, he made many contributions to UH and CWRU education and training programs for students in local high schools through postdoctoral and medical training. Notably, Berger championed programs aimed at getting high school students from the inner city interested in science. He remained an active member of the distinguished university professors at CWRU and continued providing advice and expertise to the School of Medicine and university whenever requested. One of his last projects was to study the effects of COVID-19 on patients with cancer. His contributions were recognized by CWRU when he was given the school’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.Beyond his many, many professional accomplishments during his career, Berger enjoyed traveling and visited many interesting places in the world. Most importantly, Berger deeply valued family and friends. He will be missed by the UH and CWRU community and by those who knew him.