In Memorium – Dr. Gary Morrow

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dr. Gary Morrow, PhD, MS, on July 7, 2026. He was 82 years old.

Gary was a pioneering figure in oncology supportive care who understood that how patients live through cancer treatment matters as much as how long they live. His groundbreaking research on nausea, fatigue, anxiety, and quality of life changed clinical practice worldwide and has been recognized among the top five advances in cancer care over the past 50 years. Gary’s mantra was simple: “Helping good people through lousy times.” And he lived that every day.

Over nearly five decades at the University of Rochester, he built the URCC NCORP Research Base — a nationwide network dedicated to bringing high-quality cancer control and supportive care research directly to patients in their communities. He also established the Cancer Control Research Training Program at the University, which has been continually funded since 2004. This invaluable training program, which has included many ASPO members over the last 21 years, is a lasting legacy of Gary’s commitment to mentoring and cancer prevention and control research. His influence on the field definitely lives on in the careers he shaped, the investigators he trained, and the countless patients whose lives are better because of his work.

For more, please see the University of Rochester’s tribute to Gary.

Our thoughts are with his wife, children, and grandchildren, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.

Sincerely,

Michael E. Scheurer, PhD, MPH, FACE
President, American Society of Preventive Oncology