LAUSR

Jimmie C. Holland, MD, internationally recognized as the founder of the field of psycho-oncology, died suddenly on December 24, 2017, at the age of 89. Dr. Holland, who was affectionately known by her first name “Jimmie,” had a profound global influence on the fields of psycho-oncology, oncology, supportive care, psychiatry, and psychosomatic medicine. Dr. Holland was the attending psychiatrist and Wayne E. Chapman Chair at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and professor of psychiatry, Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York. In 1977, Jimmie was appointed chief of the psychiatry service in the Department of Neurology at MSKCC, by Jerome Posner, MD, then chair of neurology at MSKCC. The psychiatry service at MSKCC was the first such clinical, research, and training service established in any cancer center in the world. In 1996, Dr. Holland was named the inaugural chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at MSKCC; again, the first such department created in any cancer center in the United States or the world. During a 40-year career at MSKCC, Jimmie created and nurtured the field of psycho-oncology, established its clinical practice, advanced its clinical research agenda, and, through her pioneering efforts, launched the careers of the leaders of a national and worldwide field who mourn her passing and continue to work in what has become a shared mission to emphasize “care” in cancer care. Dr. Holland founded the International Psycho-oncology Society (IPOS) in 1984, and founded the American Psychosocial Oncology Society in 1986. More than 25 years ago, Jimmie founded and coedited the international journal Psycho-Oncology. Dr. Holland edited the first major textbooks of psycho-oncology and edited the third edition of the textbook Psycho-oncology in 2015. Jimmie cowrote two well-received books for the public: The Human Side of Cancer and Lighter as We Go: Virtues, Character Strengths, and Aging, with the latter reflecting her interests in geriatric oncology as she approached her 90th birthday (Greenstein & Holland, 2014; Holland & Rowland, 1989; Holland et al., 1998, 2010, 2015). Dr. Holland has received many awards recognizing her achievements in psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine, psycho-oncology, and oncology over the course of her career. Some of her notable awards include the Medal of Honor for Clinical Research from the American Cancer Society, Clinical Research Award from the American Association of Community Cancer Centers, American Association for Cancer Research Joseph H. Burchenal Clinical Research Award, Marie Curie Award from the Government of France, Margaret L. Kripke Legend Award for contributions to the advancement of women in cancer medicine and cancer science from the MD Anderson Cancer Center, T. J. Martell Foundation 2015 Women of Influence Award, and Distinguished Alumnus Award from Baylor College of Medicine in 2016. She served as president of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine in 1996 and was the recipient of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine’s Hackett Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. She was the inaugural recipient of the Arthur Sutherland Award for Lifetime Achievement from The International Psychooncology Society.