Special Submission INTRODUCTION OF THE 38TH LAURISTON S. TAYLOR LECTURER IN RADIATION PROTECTION AND MEASUREMENTS: FRED A. METTLER, JR. Milton J. Guiberteau* ON THE 50th anniversary of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) Charter, it is my unique privilege to present the 38th Lauriston S. Taylor Lecturer, Fred A. Mettler, Jr., M.D., M.P.H. As the intent of this event is to honor Dr. Taylor, the selection of Dr. Mettler to deliver this prestigious lecture more than accomplishes its goal. While Laurie Taylor and Fred Mettler represent lives and careers of very different times and circumstances, these men share striking similarities in their extraordinary focus, passion and dedication to the field of radiation protection. An introduction is a very personal undertaking, especially when one is introducing a colleague, collaborator, and dear friend of over 40 y. The temptation is to bask the honoree solely in his or her professional pedigree and many accomplishments, leaving the personage to languish. However, in the case of Dr. Mettler, such a narrow view would not begin to do justice to an individual of so many talents and broad life experience. So I have chosen to craft an image of the man, as well as the scholar and physician, driven to understand and convey that corner of the world that has fascinated and absorbed him all of his professional career. Fred was born in New York City on 17 April 1945. His father, Frederick A. Mettler, Sr., M.D., was Professor of Anatomy in the Department of Neurology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, a well-respected expert in brain anatomy and physiology and a research pioneer in somatotopic relationships of points on the brain with body movements and their implications for psychosurgery. Growing up as much in his father’s laboratory with its electric eels, rhesus monkeys, and an

*Professor of Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, MS 360, Houston, TX 77030. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. For correspondence contact the author at the above address, or email at [email protected]. (Manuscript accepted 22 October 2014) 0017-9078/15/0 Copyright © 2014 Health Physics Society DOI: 10.1097/HP.0000000000000252

occasional elephant autopsy at the Bronx Zoo as at home, where he encountered the likes of legends such as Edith Quimby and Harald Rossi, both Fred. Jr. and his sister Cecilia were steeped in an appreciation for the richness of academic life. As a result, both were destined to forge remarkable academic careers in science and medicine. Fred’s formal education proceeded as one might expect through prestigious institutions of higher learning. He was awarded a B.A. in mathematics from Columbia University in 1966 and received an M.D. degree in 1970 from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. During his summers, he supplemented his classroom hours with research and intern duties at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Max Planck Biomedical Institute (Frankfurt), University of Rochester and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which fed his growing interest in the biological effects of radiation. Medical school was followed by a rotating radiology internship at the University of Chicago under the tutelage of Robert Moseley, M.D., a noted expert in radiation protection. In 1973, Fred’s post-graduate medical training was interrupted by conscription into military service at Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, Kansas, serving as diagnostic radiologist. It was there that a life-changing and characterrevealing event occurred. While on duty Christmas Day at the small base hospital, a determined intruder on the base entered the hospital emergency room carrying a rifle and demanded to know who was in charge. Perceiving the danger to his staff, Fred stepped to the forefront and declared himself as that person. One shot was fired toward Fred’s head, shattering his jaw with the bullet lodging near his cervical spine. Still conscious and very much still in charge, Fred overpowered and disarmed the startled man. When it was over, the attacker was incapacitated, and the stunned members of the clinic staff were all intact. Bleeding profusely, Fred then lay down and asked the medics to call for an ambulance to take him to the nearby civilian hospital where he underwent tracheotomy in the parking lot. The skill of managing an unexpected adverse event had suddenly become a practical matter for Fred. Calm, reasoned, but decisive responses are his nature, which inspires the

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confidence and support of those around him, whether it is a personal challenge or an international radiation crisis, and he has used these qualities for the benefit of many. Following service in the U.S. Air Force, Fred completed his diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine training as a resident and NIH fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He received a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Harvard University in 1975 while also taking nuclear engineering classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Subsequently, he was certified in both radiology and nuclear medicine by the American Boards of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Radiology and the American College of Nuclear Physicians. Lest one be led to believe that young Dr. Mettler’s interests were limited to medical and academic pursuits, believe me, there is much evidence to the contrary. While at Columbia, Fred was a member of the varsity wrestling team as well as the team of rifle sharpshooters. These interests were followed by an ensuing gusto for rugby, skiing, sailing, hunting, fishing, and amateur wine-making, all accomplished while maintaining his social rank as one of the most eligible bachelors in Boston. It was through one of Fred’s most avid leisure pursuits that he lost that rank. Fred had earned both private and commercial pilot’s licenses in multiple classes of aircraft. While flying at 6,000 feet over Hartford, Connecticut, with a 2,000‐foot ceiling, a storm brewing, and smoke billowing from the plane’s single engine, his understandably nervous passenger leaned over with a proposition, “Get me down alive and I will marry you,” and so he did. Back on the ground, Fred and Gloria were married amidst friends in Harvard Chapel on a beautiful summer’s day in 1976 after knowing each other for 4 wks. They have enjoyed a wonderful marriage and partnership for 38 y, raising two fine sons, Erik and Larsen. When not visiting their grandsons Colton and Trent, Fred and Gloria spend time together fishing, gardening, hiking, skiing, and golfing. In 1977, after a year on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Fred accepted Bob Moseley’s offer to join the faculty at the University of New Mexico as Acting Chief, Division of Nuclear Medicine. He subsequently rose to Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiology, serving in that position for almost two decades. It was also in this setting that his academic career blossomed and his remarkable achievements began. With an uncanny talent for collecting, distilling, and interpreting data and assembling the result in publication-worthy form in record time, Fred’s contributions to the literature of radiation exposure have been prodigious. His mentor and friend, James H. Christie, M.D., once remarked to me that if he banished Fred to Siberia today, there would be a finished paper from Vladivostok on his desk tomorrow. As an analytic thinker and articulate writer, he has written over

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360 articles and papers for peer-reviewed journals in addition to numerous scientific reports, monographs, editorials, and perspectives on an extraordinary range of topics. But Fred is not just a prolific author; his articles have often forecast the major trends of the last three decades in medical radiation exposure, promoting awareness and remediation. In 1969, as a 24‐y-old medical student, his article with Louis Hempleman, M.D., in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggested that malignant breast lesions could be induced by radiation, several months before such an increase was reported in atomic bomb survivors. He was also one of the first to report the growth and associated doses of computed tomography in the late 1980s and 1990s before professional and public attention to the unprecedented proliferation of medical radiation exposures raised concern. Similarly, other publications tracked trends in overall medical radiation exposures, nuclear medicine exposures, and angiographic procedures in the United States. In addition to scientific writings, Fred is an engaging teacher and an entertaining, even mesmerizing lecturer, no matter the topic or audience. He has translated these talents to his educational publications. His 20 textbooks have had remarkable longevity and broad appeal with the Essentials of Nuclear Medicine Imaging, now in its sixth edition, achieving worldwide bestseller status for over 35 y. This body of work, intended to teach, inform, popularize, challenge, provoke and alert, have made him one of the most relevant and influential people in radiation protection of our time. No lesser voice than John Boice, NCRP President, has proclaimed that,“His profound influence on radiation science and medicine is his legacy,” and this influence is not just a product of scholarly pursuits. Fred has never seemed content to simply pursue the ideal of contemplative work without a necessary component of action and engagement. His career reveals a passion for integrating the field of radiation protection with real-world arenas ranging from medical practice and the management of radiation accidents to international politics and diplomacy. His contributions to the many organizations and even nations that have sought out his counsel and expertise are numerous. He has served as an expert on radiation effects and accidents for the National Academy of Sciences, National Cancer Institute, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Peace Corps, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Institute of Medicine, World Health Organization (WHO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Agency on Research on Cancer, and has led IAEA/WHO medical teams as radiation accident consultant to the Costa Rican, Peruvian, Panamanian, and Polish governments. He has served as health advisor to the Japanese Cabinet for the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

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Special Submission c M. J. GUIBERTEAU

Fred’s reputation as an expert on radiation effects and management of radiation accidents coupled with a talent for clear thinking and articulation of practical perspectives has also drawn him into the spotlights of national and international leadership. He has served on the NRCP Board of Directors and as a Scientific Vice President for Scientific Affairs, as an ICRP Commissioner (now Commissioner Emeritus) for 18 y, and notably as U.S. Representative and leader of the U.S. delegation to the to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) for 29 y. As recently as October 2013, Dr. Mettler, as Chair of the Expert Group, presented to the U.N. General Assembly the UNSCEAR report on the Effects of Radiation Exposure of Children, a landmark recognition of children as a unique radiation epidemiological class. This is but one of many consequential scientific reports from various organizations that bear the mark of his leadership and/or influence. Of his numerous experiences on the world stage, it is perhaps the 2 y Fred devoted as Health Effects Team Leader of the International Chernobyl Project (1990–1991) that have been most memorable to him. During this unprecedented effort in which 200 scientists from 25 countries took part, surveys were performed of populations in highly contaminated areas for health impacts 5 y after the accident. In addition to being a valuable scientific endeavor, this was a very up-close and personal encounter with the people of the rural villages of Belarus in the aftermath of a major nuclear disaster. Through this experience, Fred gained a

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profound concern for the persisting effects on human lives, especially the children, in terms of the psychosocial consequences induced by the specter of future unpredictable medical effects. In an enlightening summative account, he has given us a glimpse of both the science and the humanity that underpinned these efforts. In recognition of his scientific expertise, Dr. Mettler was elected an Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in 2003. In 2007, for his contributions to radiation science and medicine as well as his humanitarian efforts in radiation protection, he was awarded its Gold Medal for outstanding achievement. For his service to the people and children of Belarus during the International Chernobyl Project, he was pronounced a “Hero of Belarus” by its government. These are remarkable and befitting accolades for a radiation scientist and physician with national and international influence and relevance and a lifetime of enduring contributions to his field. Typical of Fred, his lecture today is a personal acknowledgment of the accomplishments of others, giants of the profession who have influenced, empowered and enriched his own career and propelled the field of radiation protection forward. But, as we listen, we must not forget that giants beget giants. There is no doubt that those who will stand on Dr. Mettler’s shoulders and the merits of his legacy in the future will have an enviable view. Please welcome the 38th Lauriston S. Taylor Lecturer, Dr. Fred A Mettler, Jr.

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Introduction of the 38th Lauriston S. Taylor lecturer in radiation protection and measurements: Fred A. Mettler, Jr.

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