Joseph P. Concannon

CONCANNON, JOSEPH P.

Dr. Joseph P. Concannon died September 29, 2009 at the age of 92. Dr. Concannon was the former Director of Radiation Oncology at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he worked for 23 years. He also served as clinical professor of radiation therapy at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. After retiring from Allegheny General Hospital in 1982, he founded and was president of Triangle Radiation Oncology, which provided the sole radiation oncology services to a number of hospitals in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio, until his retirement from the practice of medicine in 1989.

He authored over 85 significant publications concerning cancer treatment and cancer research. Holding numerous fellowships in nuclear medicine, he served on and led a variety of committees and task forces related to radiation therapy, immunology, and chemotherapy. Dr. Concannon was the founding force behind a cancer research center established at Allegheny General Hospital. He worked on a committee for radiation therapy studies at the National Cancer Institute and reviewed applications for research support for clinical neutron radiation therapy programs at Tufts Medical College, University of Washington, M.D. Anderson Hospital, and George Washington University. Dr. Concannon also served as a guest examiner for the American Board of Radiology.

Dr. Concannon was a founding member and a fellow of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology (ASTRO), and a founding member of the American Club of Radiotherapy and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. He was a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland and the Royal College of Physicians of London. He was also former President of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, Pittsburgh. In addition, he was a member of numerous medical societies, including the American Radium Society, the New York Academy of Sciences, and the American College of Radiology.

Dr. Concannon earned his undergraduate degree from Manhattan College before going on to the University of Buffalo, where he earned his degree in medicine. He completed an internship at Jersey City Medical Center and residencies at Buffalo General Hospital and at Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases. A veteran of World War II, he retired as a major of the US Air Force Reserve.

He was married for 56 years to Dr. Bernice G. Concannon, also a radiation oncologist. They met during his fellowship at the Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute in Manchester, England. She died in 2006. Born on St. Patrick's Day, 1917, Dr. Concannon took immense pride in his Irish roots, both of his parents having immigrated to the United States. He read voluminously and traveled globally (especially to India, where he consulted with and mentored numerous radiation oncologists). He enjoyed both golf and boating. Splitting each year between Falmouth, Massachusetts and Gainesville, Florida in order to spend time with his family, he was a devoted grandfather, delighting in providing career guidance and help for the older children and bonbons for his youngest, toddler grandchild. Dr. Concannon is survived by his four children and their spouses: David (Susan) Concannon of Alexandria, VA; Mary (John) Oldak of Bronx, NY; Paul (Susan) Concannon of Atlanta, GA; and Peter (Tricia) Concannon of Gainesville, FL; and five grandchildren: Thomas and Brian Concannon of VA; John and Delia Kate Oldak of NY; and Rose Ellen Concannon of FL. A Funeral Mass was celebrated on Saturday, October 3 at the Saint Thomas Chapel, Falmouth, MA.