Carolyn Kaelin (born Carolyn Mary Scerbo; April 4, 1961 – July 28, 2015) was an American cancer surgeon. She worked at the

Dana–Farber Cancer Institute Dana–Farber Cancer Institute is a comprehensive cancer treatment and research institution in Boston, Massachusetts. Dana–Farber is the founding member of Dana–Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Harvard's Comprehensive Cancer Center designated b ...

and founded the Comprehensive Breast Health Center at

Brigham and Women’s Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is the second largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two f ...

in 1995.

Early life and education

Carolyn Kaelin was born in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

, to Mary (née Zebrowski) and Richard Scerbo. She was raised in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, and graduated from Indian Hills High School in

Oakland, New Jersey Oakland is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 12,754,Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

. She earned her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Kaelin also earned a master's degree from the

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The school grew out of the Harvard-MIT School for Health Officers, the nation's first ...

. During her residency, she earned an award for chief resident of the year.

Career

Carolyn Kaelin decided to specialize in breast surgery because it allowed her to know her patients well and provide long-term care unlike other surgical specialties. At the age of 34, Kaelin was appointed as a founding director of the Comprehensive Breast Health Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a major Harvard teaching hospital. In 2001, she was selected as one of Newsweek's 15 Women of the New Century. Kaelin was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2003. She underwent multiple operations, one of which caused her to lose sensation in her fingers, leading to the end of her surgical career.

Personal life

Carolyn Kaelin met her husband,

William Kaelin Jr. William G. Kaelin Jr. (born November 23, 1957) is an American Nobel Laureate physician-scientist. He is a professor of medicine at Harvard University and the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute. His laboratory studies tumor suppressor proteins. In 201 ...

, while studying at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. They were married in 1988. Kaelin had two children, Kathryn and William (Tripp). Both are graduates of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. Carolyn Kaelin was diagnosed with

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality ch ...

multiforme in 2010 and died of the tumor at her home in

Charlestown, Massachusetts Charlestown is the oldest neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Originally called Mishawum by the Massachusett tribe, it is located on a peninsula north of the Charles River, across from downtown Boston, and also adjoins t ...

, on July 28, 2015, aged 54.

Bibliography

*''Living Through Breast Cancer'' (2005) *''The Breast Cancer Survivor's Fitness Plan'' (2007)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaelin, Carolyn 1961 births Smith College alumni 2015 deaths Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts People from Syracuse, New York People from Charlestown, Boston People from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey Physicians from New York (state) American surgeons Harvard School of Public Health alumni Johns Hopkins School of Medicine alumni Women surgeons