Dr. Henderson's parents were:

Edward O'Brien Henderson, b. Jul. 15, 1906 in Galt, Ontario, Canada and d. Nov. 23, 1989 in Contra Costa county, CA. &

Antoinette Marie Amstutz, b. Dec. 8, 1906 in Napa, California and d. May 27, 1999.

On Jul. 12, 1930, O'Brien Henderson, a Stanford graduate and Antoinette Amstutz, a San Jose Teachers College graduate, were married at St. Bridgid's Church in San Francisco, San Francisco county, CA.

Tribute Archive:

Former Dean of USC Keck School of Medicine, Director of the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Distinguished Professor of the Department of Preventive Medicine; Beloved husband, loving father of five and grandfather of eleven.

On June 20, 2015, Dr. Brian E. Henderson passed away peacefully in the family's San Marino home after a 13 month battle with lung cancer. He was surrounded by his beloved wife, Judith, and his children and grandchildren.

Brian is survived by his five children, Sean O' Brien Henderson, Maire Henderson Mullaly (husband Charles), Sarah Cathleen Henderson, Brian John Henderson (wife Jessica Hershorn), and Michael Clement Henderson (wife Katie DeLellis).

Brian is also survived by his younger sister, Marjorie Hitzl, and 11 loving grandchildren, ranging in age from 22 years to 9 months.

Brian was the second son of O'Brien Henderson and Antoinette Amstutz, born on June 27, 1937 in San Francisco, California. Brian's father, O'Brien Henderson emigrated from Ontario, Canada in 1921 to the San Francisco bay area. Brian's mother was born and raised in Napa, California. Brian and his siblings, Tony and Marjorie, grew up in San Leandro. Brian graduated from San Leandro High School in 1954, where he was President of the Science Club and center of the high school football team. Brian was an avid Giants and 49er's fan. His love for his San Francisco home teams was rivaled only by his love for USC football and his attendance at USC football games for over 40 years. Brian graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1957 with a major in English, and met his future bride Judith McDermott in 1960 while attending the University of California San Francisco Medical School. At the time, Judith was a stewardess for TWA stationed in San Francisco. The two were married on September 3, 1960 at Judith's home parish in Oak Park, Illinois. After the two were wed, Brian received his medical degree from the University of Chicago Medical School and completed his internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. For the past 40 years, Brian and his wife Judith have made their home in San Marino. Brian had a great passion for family and loved to gather his family around him, particularly at the holidays. His favorite annual event was the family's Thanksgiving celebration at their home in Wawona, in Yosemite National Park. Brian greatly loved the outdoors and, as a young man, hiked the John Muir Trail. Since that time, he and Judith spent many beloved vacations at the family home in Yosemite. The two also traveled regularly to Maui and spent fall and winter vacations in Napili Kai. Brian and Judith, and their children, also spent several summers in County Kerry, Ireland in their much beloved town of Kenmare. In more recent years, the family has spent summers together at Kings Beach in North Tahoe. Brian and Judith have been active parishioners at their local parish, Holy Family Church, in South Pasadena, for over 30 years. Brian served as a Eucharistic Minister and Lector and regularly attended the church's auctions and parish fairs. It was at Holy Family that he and Judith continued their longtime friendship with Monsignor Clement J. Connolly, who he and Judith first met in 1970 at a Marriage Encounter weekend. Brian helped Monsignor care for Cardinal Timothy Manning as the Cardinal battled cancer in 1989. Brian was able to meet Mother Teresa on her visit to the Norris to see the Cardinal just before he died. The Henderson family is grateful to Monsignor Connolly for his friendship and his visits to the Henderson family home especially during the last weeks of Brian's life. Brian was also an active member of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick for over 20 years. In 2007, Brian served as President of the Friendly Sons and in 2012 he was honored with the Friendly Sons' Medallion of Merit. Brian was very involved with the Catholic Worker focused on areas of social justice and service to the poor. Through this association he provided the first physician presence in a clinic that provided health services to the inhabitants of Skid Row. Commensurate with Brian's passion for spending time with his family, was his passion and commitment to his work as a scientist. Brian began his career in medicine as a researcher in virology. As a young scientist, he ventured to Africa with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and spent three and a half years studying malaria and yellow fever in Uganda. He was also a member of the U.S. Delegation on Hemorrhagic Fevers to the Soviet Union in 1969 and traveled extensively in Asia, where he was part of the first official U.S. scientific delegation to the People's Republic of China. Beginning in the 1970s, as the scientific world turned its attention to the War on Cancer, Brian changed his research focus and helped lead the charge. Brian's battle against the disease brought him to the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine in 1970 as an associate professor of pathology. Since coming to USC, Brian has held the Kenneth T. Norris Jr. Chair in Cancer Prevention, was the founding chair of the school's nationally ranked Department of Preventive Medicine, served as the first director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, and was director of the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center when it first opened in 1983. Brian also led the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego as its president from 1993 to 1995, returning to USC in 1996. In 1999, USC presented Brian with the Presidential Medallion, the university's highest honor, for his pioneering research and service to the university. Brian was inducted into the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 1992 and served as the president of the Society for Epidemiologic Research in the late 1990s. In 2004, he was one of the first scientific experts selected to the oversight committee for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine — the state's stem cell research entity. He also served on the board of trustees for Children's Hospital Los Angeles. "A towering figure in American medicine, Dr. Henderson's contributions as a physician, scholar, and leader transformed our understanding of the hormonal basis of many human cancers, and led the way to effective medicines to prevent and treat cancer. He saved countless lives." (Dr. Stephen Gruber, current Director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.) Over the last 45 years, Brian has provided professional guidance and emotional support to countless family and friends struggling with the challenges of dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Henderson family welcomes those who have a story to share about the impact Brian has made on their lives to please visit the family's website, www.Drbrianhenderson.com to share their story with others. In addition to flowers, and at Brian's request, donations may be made in his name to the Brian E. Henderson, M.D. Memorial Fellowship Fund. This fund will continue Brian's scientific work in the field of population genetics. Donations may be sent to USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at 1441 Eastlake Avenue, Suite 8302, Los Angeles CA 90089 or at www.uscnorris.com/BrianHenderson.

American Association for Cancer Research

In Memoriam: Brian E. Henderson

Brian E. Henderson, MD, former dean of the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, died June 20, 2015, at the age of 77. Henderson, who once served as the director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, was the Kenneth T. Norris Jr. chair in cancer prevention and distinguished professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine.

Henderson, founding chair of the Keck School of Medicine's Department of Preventive Medicine, had been a member of the AACR since 1987. He was an active participant in many AACR programs, conferences, and committees, including the Epidemiology and Prevention Awards Selection Committee and the State Legislative Committee. In addition, he received the AACR Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Memorial Award and the AACR-American Cancer Society Award for Research Excellence in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention.

"Dr. Henderson was one of the world's most renowned experts in the field of cancer epidemiology," said Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), chief executive officer of the AACR. "He joined the field when it was in its infancy and helped establish it as a vital area of cancer research. Because of his career-long dedication to identifying and understanding the causes of cancer and to mentoring early-career epidemiologists, he leaves a lasting legacy of saving lives from cancer.

Henderson began his medical career in virology, but changed his research focus to cancer in the early 1970s, becoming an internationally renowned authority in cancer epidemiology. He focused on the connection between environmental and genetic factors in the development, treatment, and prevention of a variety of cancers. In 1972, he set up the Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program at USC, which remains an important resource nationwide. The program provides valuable insight on myriad issues, such as the link between combination hormone replacement therapy and increased breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women. In 1993, Henderson established the Hawaii-Los Angeles Multiethnic Cohort, a large study that led to numerous findings on cancer risk factors, and continues to provide valuable insight; many papers are published from the study each year.

Born June 27, 1937, Henderson graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago and completed an internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He joined the Keck School of Medicine as an associate professor of pathology in 1970. Under Henderson's tenure as director from 1983 to 1994, the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center experienced a time of significant growth.

Henderson served as president of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, from 1993 to 1996, before returning to USC, serving as the founding director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute. He served as dean of the Keck School of Medicine from 2004 to 2007, before returning to his academic research interests. Henderson was recently the principle investigator of a National Cancer Institute initiative, the Elucidating Loci Involved in Prostate Cancer Susceptibility study (ELLIPSE).

In addition to the AACR's honors, Henderson's contributions to cancer research were recognized with numerous other awards, including election into the Institute of Medicine and the USC Presidential Medallion, which is the university's highest honor.

Henderson is survived by his wife, Judith, three sons, two daughters, and 11 grandchildren.

Los Angeles Times (L. A., CA.)

Jun. 29, 2015

Brian Henderson dies at 77; USC cancer expert, Medical School Dean

Brian E. Henderson, a cancer researcher and former dean of USC's Keck School of Medicine, died earlier this month at his home in San Marino. He was 77.

Henderson died June 20 after a battle with lung cancer, school officials said.

Henderson served as the dean between 2004 and 2007 and worked at USC for nearly 45 years. He was awarded the school's highest honor, the Presidential Medallion, in 1999.

"His many contributions to medicine, research, and our community ... were both far-reaching and extraordinary. He built an exceptional legacy at USC, and in the field of medicine," USC President C.L. Max Nikias said in a statement.

Henderson was born in San Francisco on June 27, 1937 and majored in English when attending UC Berkeley, where he did better in his science classes than his literature courses, said his daughter Maire Henderson Mullaly.

He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago and specialized in infectious diseases, traveling to Africa to study yellow fever and the Soviet Union to conduct research on hemorrhagic fever. He was working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta when President Richard Nixon declared a war on cancer in 1971 and took a job at USC to study the disease.

The Berkeley alum had trouble adjusting to some aspects of Trojan life. "We had a hard time the first few years when the Bears came to town," said his wife, Judith. "But it would be fair to say that USC won out in the end."

Judith noted that her husband's allegiances only shifted in college football and he remained a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan his entire life.

At USC, Henderson became an authority in investigating rates and patterns of cancer cases to seek factors that might increase the risk for the disease, including studying the role of reproductive hormones in breast cancer.

"We need rational public education of the real issues in cancer," he wrote in a 1998 op-ed piece in The Times.

He was named the dean of USC medical school after then-school President Steven Sample asked him to take on the role. "He would always rather be heading his scientific team, but he wanted the best for the school," his wife said.

After stepping down as dean, Henderson continued his research and teaching. "Mentoring students is something I just love," he said in a USC news story.

Henderson was shocked when he was diagnosed with lung cancer more than a year ago, especially because he knew it would be hard to treat, his daughter said. But he still continued to go to work until a month before his death.

"He enjoyed the science," she said.

In addition to his wife and daughter Maire, Henderson is survived by a younger sister, Marjorie Hitzl; children Sean O'Brien Henderson, Sarah Cathleen Henderson, Brian John Henderson, Michael Clement Henderson; and 11 grandchildren.