Abstract
Dr. Charles C. Capen (1936–2008)
On March 1, 2008, Toxicologic Pathology lost a pillar of excellence and an exemplary role model. For more than 40 years Dr. Charles C. Capen made significant contributions to toxicologic and veterinary pathology, and his legacy will continue to serve us well into the future. His pioneering and seminal research and publications in endocrinology pathology and endocrine carcinogenesis rank him as an undisputed world expert in the field. He was renown for his use of animal models to study human disease and truly understood and appreciated the animal-to-human connection.
Dr. Capen’s contributions to our profession involved both his scientific expertise and his leadership and commitment to toxicologic pathology and to the Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP). He clearly elucidated the rodent-specific mode of action for thyroid tumorigenesis secondary to hepatic enzyme induction and thyroid hormone imbalance. He succinctly defined mechanisms of ovarian carcinogenesis and authored multiple definitive works on the toxicology and toxicologic pathology of all components of the endocrine system. This expertise led to a high demand for his participation on peer review panels for the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Toxicology Program (NTP), and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Dr. Capen chaired the IARC scientific meeting on species differences in thyroid, kidney, and urinary bladder carcinogenesis and edited IARC Scientific Publication No. 147 detailing the results of that meeting. For the NTP he provided expertise and peer review for multiple rodent cancer bioassays. In addition, he was a member of scientific advisory panels for the Food and Drug Administration, the International Life Sciences Institute, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Academy of Science/National Research Council. With respect to his leadership and commitment to toxicologic pathology, Dr. Capen served on numerous STP committees, made scientific presentations at STP annual meetings, was President of the Society of Toxicologic Pathology, and more recently President of the International Academy of Toxicologic Pathology.
In his academic life, Dr. Capen leaves behind a legacy of leadership and advancement of veterinary pathology. As a veterinary scholar and mentor, he was a role model for students and faculty alike. He mentored countless students, was academic advisor for more than 30 graduate students, and was on the thesis examining committee for more than 70 more graduate students. He served as Chairperson of the Department of Veterinary Biosciences at The Ohio State University from 1981 to 2002. His academic research was first class including ultrastructural and conventional morphology tools in addition to molecular biology to enable elucidation of disease processes. He was totally dedicated to the highest standards of excellence in research and teaching. With a publication record of more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and more than 100 book chapters, Dr. Capen has left a lasting imprint on what veterinary pathology is today. Based on his remarkable contributions to veterinary and toxicologic pathology spanning more than 4 decades, Dr. Charles C. Capen, DVM, PhD, DACVP, FIATP, was presented with the Society of Toxicologic Pathology 2006 Achievement Award.
Dr. Capen’s expertise, contributions, and sustained excellence are reflected by numerous other awards and honors. These include being named a Distinguished Member of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (1999), receiving Ohio State’s Distinguished Scholar Award (1993), election into the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (1992) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2006), multiple American Veterinary Medical Association awards, The Ohio State University Distinguished University Professor (2002), Distinguished Alumnus of Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine (1997), and Distinguished Alumnus of Washington State University (2007).
Just as he was strongly committed to veterinary and toxicologic pathology, Dr. Capen was equally passionate about his activities and interests outside the realm of science and pathology. A world traveler, adventurer, and accomplished nature photographer, he was also a bona fide cultural buff with avid interests in opera, symphony, and art.
With the untimely passing away of Dr. Charles C. Capen, toxicologists, toxicologic pathologists, and biomedical researchers have lost a most valued gentleman, a role model, and a scholar whose tangible contributions and example will be remembered and endure.