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By
Amy DiCresce Vainutis
Vaitkevicius, MD, is admired for many things: his caring bedside manner, a
brilliant research career, a long line of impressive administrative
titles—but the most important legacy he leaves behind and continues to
build for the future of Detroit—is a world-class cancer center. Dr.
Vee, as he is affectionately called, is credited with bringing together the
area’s cancer research and treatment efforts to form what would
ultimately become the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. His
unification efforts began while he served as president of the Michigan
Cancer Foundation in the early 1990s. At that time, there were many
institutions working to fight cancer--each on its own. Among the many
impressive institutions developing cancer research and treatments at the
time were: the Michigan Cancer Foundation, the Meyer L. Prentis
Comprehensive Cancer Center of
Metropolitan Detroit, the Detroit Medical Center, Harper Hospital
and the Wayne State University School of Medicine. Dr. Vee believed that
progress could only be made if all these entities worked cooperatively. Now,
he is serving as interim director of the very center some say he nearly
single-handedly established: the Karmanos Cancer Institute. Officially
founded in 1995 with the merger of the area’s most trusted cancer
programs, the Karmanos Cancer Institute is one of the nation’s leading
cancer research, treatment and education centers. It operates
one of only 38
federally designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country, and was
named one of the top 40 cancer hospitals in the U.S., according to a 1999 U.S. News & World Report ranking. “Dr.
Vee has an outstanding reputation as a doctor, researcher and leader,”
said John Crissman, MD, dean of the WSU School of Medicine. “The most
important thing is that he earned that impeccable reputation based on his
firm commitment to an important cause and his loyalty to the people and
institutions that believed in his vision. He has lengthened the lives of
many patients who thought they would never survive cancer, and he has
boosted the careers of many doctors, scientists and health care
professionals in the area. In fact, he is primarily responsible for
bringing me to WSU,” Dr. Crissman said. Although
at age 74, Dr. Vee certainly could retire,
he has no intention of doing so in the near future. The Leader
In
1994, he was named professor emeritus of medicine, after serving as
chairman of the departments of internal medicine (1982-89) and oncology
(1972-82) at WSU. His past hospital appointments include chief of medicine
at The Grace Hospital (1973-76), chief of oncology at Harper-Grace
Hospitals (1977-82), chief of medicine at Harper-Grace (1982-89), and
physician-in-chief for the Detroit Medical Center (1982-89). His service to the local and national cancer community is equally impressive. From 1991-95, Dr. Vee was president of the Michigan Cancer Foundation, and from 1996-97, he was medical director of the Home Care and Hospice Program at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. The appointments he continues to hold are: president emeritus, director of community research, and chief medical oncology officer at the Karmanos Cancer Institute, and member of the Information and Communication Task Force of the National Cancer Institute. He was formerly appointed by the president as a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board.
“Dr.
Vee has led the largest and most complex departments at the medical school
and the medical center,” said Dr. Crissman. “We are so fortunate to
have benefited from the leadership of such a hard-working, visionary
individual. He always saw the future of cancer research and treatment for
this region, and he worked to make Karmanos a leader in its field.” The Teacher As
a former student and current colleague, Laurence Baker, DO,
has first-hand knowledge of Dr. Vee’s expertise. Dr. Baker had previously
served as chief of hematology/oncology at Wayne State, and is now deputy
director of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr.
Baker says, “Dr. Vee has helped teach principles of medical oncology to
thousands of medical students and hundreds of medical residents. In this
manner he has affected and upgraded the care of tens of thousands of
patients, even if he did not personally participate in that care. “His
devotion to training medical oncologists has led to countless discoveries
and scholarly manuscripts. I, for one, benefited immensely from his
tireless and unique efforts at medical education. Each Monday evening for
nearly eight years, he would meet with me over dinner (usually at his home)
until nearly midnight. At these sessions he would try to show me the right
way. Sometimes he even succeeded.” The Scientist Now, approximately 70 percent of patients with anal cancer can be treated without surgery. In addition, similar treatments have been applied successfully in cases of advanced head and neck cancers, allowing the larynx and throat to be treated without loss of function. Many lives have been saved and many conditions relieved thanks to Dr. Vee’s groundbreaking work.
The Physician “He
doesn’t care if they’re rich or poor, have insurance or not; he will
give them his care and his expertise. He’s a very brilliant man in the
field of cancer, yet he’s got a method of communicating with his patients
that is extremely unusual.” Because
he treats difficult, advanced cancers, many patients find Dr. Vee only
after they have suffered for a long time, through many rounds of
unsuccessful treatment. Although he can’t always promise a cure, he
always assures them of comfort and compassionate care. “Vee’s
great love of his work in cancer is continuously reflected by the love of
his patients for him. Few men have ever achieved such a community of
survivors, short term and long term, who sing his praises because of his
care for them. Many in that community became the most ardent supporters of
Dr. Vee—financially, both for his cancer programs, as well as for
facilities and equipment with which to battle cancer,” said Angott. “He
certainly has become a legend in his own right.” Dr.
Vee’s compassion has been recognized with countless awards including the
Hospice Humanitarian Award in 1989, the Life Award from the American Cancer
Society in 1981, the Tree-of-Life Award from the National Jewish Federation
in 1987, and Michiganian of the Year from The
Detroit News in 1987. He
also has drawn upon his own personal hardships to help patients deal with
tragedy. Born in Lithuania, Dr. Vee served in a labor camp in Germany for
nearly a year, and lost most of his family members who were killed as
political prisoners. When his finger was severely injured in a machine
accident, he ended his dream of becoming a professional pianist. When the
war was over, Dr. Vee went to the American zone in Frankfort to study
internal medicine, and the rest, as they say, is history. “When we look back on the history of Wayne State, the Detroit Medical Center, and the Karmanos Cancer Institute, Dr. Vee will certainly be one of the notable historical characters who will be remembered as one of the people who truly helped establish the academic health center of Detroit,” said Dr. Crissman. “Through his creation and leadership of the area’s major cancer program, he has touched the lives of everybody here.”
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