Eli J. Glatstein: Inspiring and Provoking Critical Thinking

Radiation oncology, biology and physics has lost one of its most important, illustrious leaders, one who made us laugh, cringe, scratch our heads, take notice and laugh some more. Born in Muscatine Iowa, entering radiation therapy in 1967 Eli passed away in November 2019, having served as a critical thinker, thought leader, provocateur and conscience of our field. Few people commanded the spotlight the way he did. It was virtually never about himself and always about trying to stimulate, provoke and assist his field and colleagues to think critically, create new ideas, critique the heck out of prevailing paradigms and conventional wisdom, and encourage brilliance in his students, trainees, colleagues and those fortunate enough to know him. A very large percentage of us in oncology and radiation science in its broadest sense were influenced by him....