Rupert Schmidt-Ullrich, radiation therapy pioneer, dies at 61

By Pamela DiSalvo Lepley

Dr. Rupert K. A. Schmidt-Ullrich, professor and chair of the Virginia Commonwealth University Radiation Oncology Department and Clinical Associate Director of the VCU Massey Cancer Center, died Monday at the VCU Medical Center.  He was 61.

Dr. Schmidt-Ullrich died after a lengthy illness, said officials at VCU, where he founded the Department of Radiation Oncology in 1988 when he joined the university as chair, a position he held until his death.  He also served as administrative chief, Division of Radiation Oncology, at McGuire Veterans Affairs Hospital in Richmond.

Dr. Schmidt-Ullrich, a nationally and internationally recognized radiation oncologist and molecular radiobiologist, received his classical education in Germany.  He was graduated with highest honors from the University of Heidelberg, where he received his Doctor of Medicine in 1970.  His postdoctoral research training began at the Max-Planck-Institute for Immunbiology in Freiburg, Germany under the distinguished mentorship of professor Donald F. Wallach. Their dynamic intellectual relationship developed into a fruitful collaboration in the department of Therapeutic Radiology at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston.  He completed clinical fellowships at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Tufts-New England Medical Center, the West German Cancer Center in Essen, and as a visiting fellow at several radiotherapy centers in the United States and Europe.

His honors include a Traveling Fellow of the Max-Planck-Society and a Career Development Fellow of the Rockefeller Foundation.  He recently had been appointed as the first Florence and Hyman Meyers Chair, Radiation Oncology, at VCU. 

“Dr. Schmidt-Ullrich has been one of the leading pioneers in radiation therapy in the nation, and will be sorely missed by his colleagues at VCU, the VCU Medical Center and the VCU Massey Cancer Center,” said Sheldon M. Retchin, M.D., CEO of the VCU Health System and Vice President for VCU Health Sciences.

“His research has been groundbreaking and he has built an extraordinary program in radiation oncology at the VCU School of Medicine. Dr. Schmidt-Ullrich was able to recruit an outstanding team of scientists and clinicians that have been responsible for making the department one of the top programs in the country.  The university community has lost a great friend and devoted leader,” Retchin said.

Since joining the faculty at VCU, Dr. Schmidt-Ullrich demonstrated a long-term commitment to research in cancer biology and clinical cancer medicine.  He authored or co-authored more than 200 original peer-reviewed articles in major scientific journals and was the editor of several major textbooks in the field of radiation oncology.  Most significantly, he was a co-author and editor of Principles and Practice of Radiation Oncology, the most comprehensive radiation oncology textbook. In 1992 he founded the journal “Radiation Oncology Investigations” and remained the Editor-in-Chief for a number of years.

His laboratory research demonstrated the potential for a gene therapeutic approach to sensitizing tumor cells to radiation and led to the development of a highly productive molecular radiobiology program at VCU’s Massey Cancer Center.  The unique nature of this program resulted in significant funding from the National Institute of Health – 16 continuous years -- to translate these research findings into more effective radiation therapy treatments for cancer patients.

“Dr. Schmidt-Ullrich made enormous contributions that have stimulated international scientific interest in researching new and effective radiation treatments,” said Gordon D. Ginder, director of the VCU Massey Cancer Center.

In addition to his research, Dr. Schmidt-Ullrich was a brilliant oncologist, and received national and international recognition for his expertise in breast cancer, specifically breast conservation therapy; cancer of the head and neck; and altered fractionation in radiation therapy.  His leadership led to the first academic based community radiation therapy center at Hanover Medical Park in 1993 and more recently to the opening of the Massey Cancer Center at Stony Point.

His survivors include his wife, Dr. Brigitte Schmidt-Ullrich; daughter, Alexandra Schmidt-Ullrich, of Philadelphia; son, Philipp Schmidt-Ullrich, of Richmond; mother, Dipl. Ing. Ingeborg Schmidt-Ullrich, of Germany; and sisters Dr. Ruth Schmidt-Ullrich and Elisabeth Schmidt-Ullrich, of Germany.

The family suggests that memorial contributions be made to the Massey Cancer Center’s Radiobiology Program, PO Box 980037, Richmond, Va. 23298.

A University memorial service will be announced at a later date.