Aubrey Evans, MD, renowned scientist, medical administrator and advocate for children, died Sept. 29 in her home in Philadelphia at age 97, The Washington Post reported.
Dr. Evans was known for embracing "total care" to address the physical and emotional needs of patients and families. She also was known for allowing frightened children to bring small pets into the oxygen tent and radiation chamber when undergoing cancer treatments.
She spent most of her career at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in a number of roles, including chief of pediatric oncology.
In 1959, she and her future husband, Guilio D'Angio, co-wrote a study on the effects of radiation and chemical antibiotics in children with kidney cancer. The study provided the first evidence that chemotherapy could combat solid metastatic tumors, according to the Post.
In 1974, Dr. Evans co-founded the first Ronald McDonald House, an organization that provides affordable lodging for families of ill children.
Dr. Evans retired in 2009. She is survived by two stepsons, two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, according to the Post.