Alumni News

A Pioneer In Oncology

The ASCO Post featured an article on Barrie Cassileth '59, who they hailed as a "pioneer in oncology."

Image of Barrie Cassileth giving an interview

Cassileth credits Bennington College with preparing her for future success. "[Bennington] was a cauldron of intellectual freedom. My years there largely molded my career,” she said. This influence stayed with her. After college, and "full of the Bennington spirit—which requires students to direct the course of their own education— she established herself in the close-knit, cloistered community of Pownal, teaching art and music in the town’s one-room schoolhouse." 

A "trailblazer in oncology," Cassileth "ended up initiating what [she believes] was the first palliative care program in the academic setting in the United States." She has recently retired.