Harold Burdette, MD
The late Dr. Harold Burdette devoted his life to the practice of medicine with a special focus on cancer. He began a collaboration with Dr. Joseph Walther in 1948 when they joined forces to start the Memorial Clinic, which was located in Indianapolis.
He was appointed to the board of directors of the Walther Cancer Institute (now known as the Walther Cancer Foundation) in 1990 and established the Burdette-Kunkel endowment for direct support of research contributing to a greater understanding of how patients and their families respond to the physical and emotional effects of cancer and its treatment.
His practice of medicine and support of behavioral research was a direct result of a core belief that a patient's environment, behaviors, and family play a major role in health outcomes. Dr. Burdette's support of oncology research was also based on his belief that prevention and early detection are the cornerstones in our fight against cancer morbidity and mortality.
The majority of research now taking place in the Cancer Control and Prevention Program of the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center was directly supported through endowment funds from the Mary Margaret Walther research program of the Walther Cancer Institute in Indianapolis. Dr. Burdette was the major leader and board supporter of developing and sustaining this important effort.