Dr. William Cahan
A memorial tribute to Dr. William Cahan, professor emeritus of clinical surgery who died on Oct. 7, will be held at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center on Monday, Nov. 26. The tribute will be held in the auditorium of MSKCC's Rockefeller Research Laboratories (425 E. 69th St.) at 5 p.m.
Dr. Cahan, who was a noted surgeon, researcher and teacher in the treatment of lung and breast cancer, became equally well-known nationally and in the New York area for his personal dedication to curbing the harmful effects of smoking through education and legislation to restrict areas where smoking is permitted. He served as chairman of People for a Smoke-Free Indoors and successfully lobbied the City Council in the 1980s to enact some of the toughest anti-smoking laws in the U.S.
Dr. Cahan was associated with MSKCC and Cornell University Medical College for more than 50 years. He joined Memorial in 1942 as an assistant resident. He received his M.D. from Columbia P&S in 1939 and did his initial postgraduate training at Presbyterian Hospital and the Hospital for Joint Diseases before joining MSKCC. After completing his residency and surgical fellowships at Memorial in 1949, he joined the medical staff at MSKCC, and was appointed an instructor in surgery at Cornell University Medical College in 1950. He became professor of surgery in 1974 and retired with emeritus status in 1980. He continued on the attending staff at MSKCC until 1991.
In 1992, Dr. Cahan published a memoir titled "No Stranger to Tears: A Surgeon's Story" (Random House). He is survived by his wife, Grace Mirabella-Cahan; his sons, Dr. Anthony Cahan and Christopher Cahan; and seven grandchildren.