Think back to the early 1970s, when the mortality rate for men suffering from testicular cancer was 90 percent. Now, imagine being a young man with that dreaded disease. He has tried the only known treatment, and it hasn’t worked. Options are few. So he goes to the IU School of Medicine (IUSM) and meets with a young doctor. The doctor doesn’t have an extensive reputation, but he does have an idea. He wants to try an experiment, a drug combination that he has been testing. He is cautious. He is deliberate. He makes no promises. Nine weeks later, the doctor says words the young man desperately wants to hear: "We can find no evidence of cancer in your body."

Today, that young cancer patient isn’t so young anymore. But he’s very much alive and a resident of Indiana. The young doctor was Lawrence Einhorn, who has since made quite a name for himself, both as a researcher and as an educator of future physicians. His innovative drug combination is of historic significance, for it was the first in the world to cure cancer where chemotherapy had previously failed. And it has also proved effective in treating other types of tumors, including lung and ovarian cancers.

Einhorn’s students and colleagues alike note that a dynamic synergy informs his roles as a researcher, clinician and educator. "Dr. Einhorn is not only the best oncology teacher in Indiana, but clearly one of the best oncology educators in the country," explained IUSM colleague William Dugan. "His scientific integrity, Midwestern values, gentleness and uncanny ability to articulate, in very understandable terms, the core of a cancer issue, bring honor to our state, our university and to the field of medicine."

Students say they feel motivated to stay true to the ideals Einhorn has modeled as "a loyal and generous mentor." Indeed, an unusual number of students have chosen to specialize in oncology over the years.

"One of the most important things I try to teach future physicians is to have empathy for their patients," he said. "It is important to improve their skills in both listening to patients and talking to them. More often than not, we are confronted with having to deliver tragic news to wonderful people. There are ways of honestly giving bad news without destroying all evidence of hope. I try to emphasize that hope is better than despair."

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