He was 85.
“Dr. Simone was an extraordinary leader and a giant in the field of oncology,” James Downing, MD, president and CEO of St. Jude, said in a news release. “Our hospital — in truth, the world — owes a great debt of gratitude to him for his many accomplishments. A visionary and a world-class clinician, he was, most importantly, a man of principle.”
Dr. Simone joined St. Jude in 1967 and led the hospital’s leukemia program. He later served as associate director for clinical research before serving as the hospital’s third director from 1983-92.
During his tenure, he and the hospital’s first director, Donald Pinkel, MD, helped develop and lead the Total 5 protocol for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, said St. Jude.
The hospital also credited Dr. Simone for helping to establish a clinic for poor children and playing a key role in St. Jude becoming a charter member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Read more about Dr. Simone’s legacy here.
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