Dr Walter Davis

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is saddened by the passing of Dr Walter Davis, a former IARC staff member who died recently.

Dr Davis joined IARC in 1966, when the Agency was still hosted in the premises of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Before that, he worked as a scientist specializing in organic chemistry at the Chester Beatty Research Institute of the Royal Cancer Hospital in London, United Kingdom.

Dr Davis was one of the first senior professionals recruited to IARC, to head the unit responsible for education and training, scientific publications, and communication. He rapidly established the IARC Fellowship Programme for postdoctoral researchers and organized a long series of IARC training courses around the world, which led to IARC quickly becoming renowned in international cancer research. In an interview to mark 50 years since the establishment of the Agency, Dr Davis said, “My greatest achievement is the Fellowship Programme, because it is about bringing knowledge.”

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