A Tribute to Ronald L. Hayes
2023; Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.; Volume: 41; Issue: 1-2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1089/neu.2023.29141.rh
ISSN1557-9042
Autores Tópico(s)Traumatic Brain Injury Research
ResumoJournal of NeurotraumaVol. 41, No. 1-2 In MemoriamFree AccessA Tribute to Ronald L. HayesBruce Lyeth and Kevin K.W. WangBruce Lyeth and Kevin K.W. WangPublished Online:29 Dec 2023https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2023.29141.rhAboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookXLinked InRedditEmail Our colleague and dear friend Ron Hayes died on November 13, 2023; a truly great loss to the world. We have received an outpouring of support and heartfelt sentiments, which we have compiled into this tribute. It is far too brief to capture everything, of course, and there will be many more to come.From Bruce Lyeth, UC-DavisRon stayed close to his hometown of Portsmouth, VA earning a BA in Classical Studies and Philosophy at the University of Richmond and a PhD in Physiological Psychology at VCU. During this academic journey he joined the Virginia Air National Guard earning his wings as a jet fighter pilot. In graduate school he studied endogenous opioids and nociception under David Mayer and continued in that field as a scientist at the NIH. Around 1980, the Division of Neurosurgery at MCV recruited Ron to lead the TBI labs where he and Japanese research fellow, Yoichi Katayama, performed seminal studies in traumatic unconsciousness and coma.I joined Ron's lab in 1983 at MCV as a VCU Psychology graduate student after fellow grad student Ed Dixon and my academic advisor, Bob Hamm, encouraged me to visit Ron's neurosurgery labs at nearby MCV. Ron was brilliant, insightful, energetic, sometimes impatient, but always warm-hearted. He always had incredible stories; tales of adventures traveling to scientific meetings – rarely did he travel without something unusual happening. He loved fast cars and bought an Acura only because it out-performed David Mayer's Toyota Celica!Ron confided to me that one of his favorite eras in science was with his "MCV crew" of Doug DeWitt, Larry Jenkins, Ed Dixon, Linda Phillips, and me on the 9th floor of Sanger Hall. Ron led our scientific inquiry into acetylcholine and glutamate receptor-mediated secondary injury cascades. This period was enriched by the many talented research fellows from Japan, Europe, South America, and China that passed through Ron's "kingdom." Thanks to Ron's leadership, they developed into productive scientists with many becoming leaders in the field of TBI. We learned so much from Ron about scientific method, writing, securing funding, and the utter joy of scientific discovery. Knowing Ron has made me a better scientist and a better person.Ron defined himself in many ways: philosopher, scientist, warrior in the battle against crippling brain injuries, and later described himself as " a closet philosopher and classicist. It may be unconventional training for a scientist, but it has served me very well."From Kevin K.W. Wang, Morehouse School of MedicineI got acquainted with Ron in about 1997 – while I was still at Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical. I fondly remembered that Ron and his then graduate student Rand Postmantur reached out to me to collaborate as we were all fascinated by the role of calpain in TBI. That led to two R01 grants in which I served as subaward PI at Parke-Davis. Such an arrangement in big pharma was practically unheard of - it was only possible because of Ron's optimism, thinking outside the box and his "why-not' attitude. That attitude also led to my joining him and Dr. Nancy Denslow at University of Florida and the McKnight Brain Institute. In 2001-2022, with input from my pharma industry background, a light bulb went off in our heads that there is really an unmet need for blood-based biomarker tests to help manage TBI patients. With the help of his friend and WRAIR contact Dr. Frank Tortella – we got the first ever DoD funded proteomic-based TBI biomarker discovery grant, which was followed by the NIH funded clinical TBI biomarker validation study in partnership with Baylor's Claudia Robertson and UF's Steve Robicsek. Pioneering biomarker discovery was hard, and for PhD scientists like Ron and me to conduct a clinical study was ten times harder; but Ron had a vision and the determination that to make a difference in the field of TBI, this was really where it needed to go. As they say, the rest is history, together we co-founded a spinoff company Banyan Biomarkers with the vision to develop the first-ever blood test for TBI and concussion. The Banyan brain injury test based on the tandem biomarkers UCH-L1/GFAP secured FDA clearance in February 2018 and completed a license with Abbott Laboratories that led to the marketing of their i-STAT TBI plasma test and the CE marking of Biomerieux's TBI test. I know that bringing a diagnostic test to the bedside from start to finish is truly a proud moment we both share – as he would say to me "We did it!" He has many other memorable quotes – such as academia researchers need to focus on "pubs and grants" and on writing an effective grant, just "keep it simple, stupid." Some my favorite memories of him at scientific conferences are that instead of sitting inside of conference rooms listening to talks, he seemed to spend more time outside of the rooms networking with others and forming new collaborations!Ron has been a great mentor to me and others. As Bruce mentioned, his classic language and philosophy training really showed in his well-articulated speeches. It was a privilege for me to know and to learn from him not only on how to be a good translational researcher but also to be a better communicator and to approach life and science with unwavering optimism.From Stephania Mondello, University of MessinaRon was a brilliant scientist, a leader, a role model, and a pioneer in the field of neurotrauma.From Alex Valadka, UT SouthwesternHe was always looking further down the road than most of us can see. He made a real impact.From Geoff Manley, UCSFSad news about a dear old friend, and someone who made a real difference in our field.From David Wright, Emory UniversityHe was indeed a treasured mentor for many of us and his vision lives on through us.From David Menon, Cambridge UniversityPlease pass on our sympathy to his family and let them know how highly he was respected by colleagues from outside the United States.From David Okonkwo, University of PittsburghRon had a huge influence on me going all the way to the back to beginning. I am deeply saddened by his passing and only wish I had a chance to share one more beer with him. That will now have to wait for a happy hour in the sky.I took this picture of him in Budapest many, many years ago. He loved it. He asked many times that I reforward it to him. I don't know why he loved it so much, but he did…it is a photo that captures his free spirit and embrace of life.From David Brody, Journal of NeurotraumaRon was amazingly kind to me when I was first starting out in the field. He made me feel truly welcome. Let's "pay it forward" in his memory and nurture the next generation. I think that's what he'd want.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 41Issue 1-2Jan 2024 InformationCopyright 2024, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:Bruce Lyeth and Kevin K.W. Wang.A Tribute to Ronald L. Hayes.Journal of Neurotrauma.Jan 2024.1-2.http://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2023.29141.rhPublished in Volume: 41 Issue 1-2: December 29, 2023Online Ahead of Print:December 14, 2023 PDF download
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