Juan A. del Regato traveled to Paris from Cuba in 1930 to complete his medical studies at the prestigious Radium Institute.  There he encountered the great pioneers of radiation treatment ~ Curie, Béclère, Regaud, Coutard, Lacassagne, and others.  In 1938 he brought their traditions of research, international cooperation, and dedication to medical education to the United States. During his active career, Dr. del Regato trained hundreds of young physicians to serve in the fledgling field of radiation oncology.  In 1954, he worked to bring together the group which would become ASTRO, the first US society exclusively for the field.  His efforts with international organizations and with colleagues around the world opened up new avenues of communication as radiation oncology changed and expanded.  His continuing work as a historian has produced books, articles, and reviews enhancing our understanding of people, places, and events behind the development of the field.

The del Regato Foundation carries on the spirit of its founder, seeking to improve communication and education in radiation oncology worldwide, as well as to encourage historical works on the field.  Founded in 1974, the Foundation works to foster a sense of global unity and direction, and to sustain this directive well into the second century of radiation oncology.

The Foundation encourages physicians and others in their interest in the history of radiation oncology and allied fields.  Both the writing of history and the preservation of valuable materials have formed recent foci for the foundation activities in the area.  Dr. del Regato’s collection of reprints, numbering well over 10,000 pieces, has been placed in the Radiation Oncology Department of the Medical College of Wisconsin for the use of scholars and researchers.  As part of its contribution to the Centennial of the X-ray in 1995, the Foundation has sponsored the development of a series of books on careers in the medical professions, leading off with a volume on life in radiation oncology (as well as its history and basic science).

The Foundation hopes to expand this focus on history to interest students at all levels in radiation oncology and in its possibilities, both as a rewarding and satisfying career and as a technology revolutionizing cancer treatment and cure.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES