Barrie R. Cassileth

Barrie Joyce Rabinowitz Cassileth (née Rabinowitz; April 22, 1938 – February 26, 2022) was an American medical sociologist and researcher of complementary medicine and a critic of alternative medicine. Her father, Albert, initially owned a company that made socks, before operating a company that designed and installed custom kitchens together with her mother, Rosalind (Kaizen). Cassileth studied social sciences at Bennington College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1959. She subsequently obtained a Master of Science in psychology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, She ultimately resumed her studies and was later awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in medical sociology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978.

Career After completing her doctorate, Cassileth remained at the University of Pennsylvania as an assistant professor and taught medical sociology. Cassileth also expressed misgivings about licensed medical practitioners counselling their patients to pursue alternative treatments to cancer, She cited the example of Steve Jobs – who initially put off surgery in favor of alternative medicine – and was of the opinion that he "essentially committed suicide" by not seeking conventional treatment from the outset. Cassileth also formed the Society for Integrative Oncology in 2003 and served as its inaugural president. She worked at MSKCC until her retirement in 2016.

Personal life Cassileth married her first husband, Peter Cassileth, in 1958. Together, they had three children: Jodi, Wendy, and Gregory. They eventually divorced. Her second marriage to H. Taylor Vaden also ended in divorce. She later married Richard Cooper in 2008. They remained married until his death in 2016.

Death Cassileth died aged 83, on February 26, 2022, in an assisted-living facility in Beverly Hills, California. Her daughter, Jodi Cassileth Greenspan, said that she died due to complications of Alzheimer's disease.

Selected publications Papers

Books