Chair, Commission on Cancer, 1969–1975
Benjamin Franklin Byrd, Jr., MD, FACS, served as Chair of the Commission on Cancer from 1969 to 1975 and as a member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons from 1973 to 1976. Dr. Byrd was born May 18, 1918, in Nashville, TN. He attended the Duncan College Preparatory School in Nashville and received his A.B. degree from Vanderbilt University in 1937. In 1941, he earned his M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
During his residency, Pearl Harbor was attacked and he immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army. Dr. Byrd served as Commanding Officer of the 314th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH). He received a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star. He left the Army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
On return from his years of service he focused on the care and cure for patients with breast cancer. He was an advocate for mammography, as the best tool for early detection. He was determined to make the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, TN, one of the best cancer centers in the country.
Dr. Byrd served as a Professor of Clinical Surgery at Vanderbilt University Hospital, Professor of Clinical Surgery at Meharry Medical College, Chairman of the Board of Overseers of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, and Chief of Surgery at St. Thomas Hospital. In addition, he served as President of the Medical Staff at the Junior League Home for Crippled Children and was President of the Nashville Academy of Medicine.
Dr. Byrd served as President of the Tennessee Division of the American Cancer Society in 1963 and served on its national board of directors from 1965 onward. From 1975 to 1976, he served as President of the American Cancer Society (National) and the organization awarded him its first Ted Marrs award.
He received the Outstanding Physician of the Year Award from the Tennessee Medical Association in 1986 and the Distinguished Physician Award from the Tennessee Hospital Association in 1992.
During his tenure as chairman for the Commission on Cancer many notable expansions were advanced. Development of the film The Hospital Cancer Program and Organization of the Cancer Registry were widely shown with very favorable reception. A relationship was established with the American Medical Association with the addition of a course in Cancer Registry Operations, to the school for Medical Record Administrators. During Dr. Byrd’s tenure the Field Liaison Program was reorganized.
Along with his devotion to medicine, he was a very devoted leader in his church, First Presbyterian Church, and to the city of Nashville. In 1986, Dr. Byrd was named Outstanding Nashvillian for his role as President of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. His son stated the following upon his death in 2006 at the age of 88.
“Dad was truly a remarkable individual. Very few people have the opportunity to be of service and touch so many lives as he did. It’s a true legacy of selfless service.”
Written by Cheryl Sheridan, RHIT, CTR