July 15, 2013
Women who meet Dr. Joseph Cleary '69C rarely forget him.
As a general surgeon specializing in surgical oncology, he's given thousands of breast cancer patients the chance to regain the happy, healthy lives they thought they'd never have again. And even though he's been doing if for more than 30 years, the joy that he gets from seeing women go from despair and fear to hope and happiness is something he's never taken for granted.
"I started my practice in 1980," he said, "and I've seen a lot of changes in the surgical world during those years. In the field of breast cancer, there have been major improvements in early diagnosis and in various treatment modalities. Early diagnosis has now given patients and doctors many options that weren't available even a few years ago. When I started my practice, most patients were treated with some form of mastectomy, but today other options are available to many patients. Genetic testing offers the ability to identify the 5% of breast cancer patients who have actually inherited an abnormal gene. We also have a test that shows the normal or abnormal activity of several genes related to cancer growth. Knowing that I've made a real difference for so many people over the years has been one of the real joys of my life. I try to remember each day to be grateful to God for allowing me the privilege of being a physician."
Although he is doing less surgery now than in the past and devoting more of his time to teaching and administrative duties, he still continues to practice and continues to follow the courses of the patients whom he has treated over the past three decades. For this gifted and caring physician, it could never be any other way.
Cleary came to St. John's as a transfer student in his junior year. By that time he had decided to become a physician, and felt that the rigorous Pre-Med program offered at St. John's would give him his best shot at getting into medical school. An MVP winning pitcher at the high school level who played in the Brooklyn-based Parade Grounds league, he also hoped to play college baseball, and made it a point to speak with Head Baseball Coach John W. "Jack" Kaiser '49C to see if he could try to make the team as a walk-on.
"I visited Coach Kaiser in what was then Alumni Hall," he recalled, "and after telling him my story he invited me to come out and take part in the team's first practice. I worked out with the team for a few weeks, and even though I wasn't able to make all of the practices because of my class and lab schedules, Coach Kaiser encouraged me to stay with the team and come to as many practices as I could. Although I did not play a full season, I've always been grateful to him for giving me an opportunity to be a part of the team. We still stay in touch, and I try to get back to see a few games every year and also support some of the baseball fundraisers."
This loyal alumnus supports the University in other ways as well. As a physician, Cleary knows that, given the tenuousness of life, things can change in an instant, and that plans for the future need to be made as early as possible. He has already named St. John's as a beneficiary in his will and is an active participant in the activities of The McCallen Society, a donor recognition group reserved for individuals who have made provisions to include the University in their estate plans. His affinity for St. John's remains strong, and he is pleased to know that his estate gift will help future students achieve success similar to his own.
Even though he was only a St. John's student for two years, he remembers his time on campus fondly, attributing much of his future success to the academic excellence of his Pre-Med studies.
"As I look back at my time at St. John's, I realized right away that I had come into a great academic atmosphere," he noted. "It wasn't that there was a lot of needless pressure on me as a student, but it was really a very deliberate academic pace with an expectation that we would study hard and rise to as high a level of excellence as possible. I recall all of my professors with admiration, especially Professors Lacaillade, Concannon and Liberti, my Biology Pre-Med mentors. I credit so much of my success to my time at the University, and a few years ago I donated the microscope that I used all during medical school to the St. John's Biology Program. It was another way to show my appreciation for all that was done for me when I was studying there. I guess it's the same reason that I've put the University in my will. For me, it's all about paying it back by paying it forward."
If you're interested in telling your St. John’s story, please contact Kathleen Mannion, Assistant Director of Gift Planning at 718-990-5312 or [email protected].