On Sunday 24 May 2020, the radiation sciences community lost Professor John Bertram Little, whose pioneering contributions have shaped every aspect of research on the biological effects of radiation. Born on 5 October 1929 in Boston, Massachusetts, John (Jack) Little passed away peacefully in nearby Brookline, where he spent most of his life. He was a forward-looking and innovative scientist, teacher and mentor. His seminal discoveries on the mechanistic aspects of cell cycle control, DNA repair, mutagenesis, genomic instability, and other non-targeted effects of exposure that each influence the radiation response of higher organisms led to tremendous advances that helped elucidate the causes, development and treatment of cancer. Dr. Little was the Director of the John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences and Environmental Health and of the Kresge Center for Environmental Health at the Harvard School of Public Health (now the Harvard – T.H. Chan School of Public Health), where he served as Chairman of the Department of Physiology and the Department of Cancer Cell Biology. Dr. Little was the James Stevens Simmons Professor of Radiobiology until his retirement in 2006. As a distinguished Emeritus Professor, he remained a productive researcher, a generous colleague and counselor to many until the final weeks of his remarkable life.
Dr. Little earned his AB in Physics from Harvard University in 1951 and an MD from Boston University in 1955. He did his internship on the Osler Service at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and then served as a U.S. Army Captain in the Medical Corps in Texas, and in Bussac, France. He completed his training in Radiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and was board certified in Radiology. Dr. Little served as a consultant in Radiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital starting in 1965. He became an instructor in radiobiology at Harvard in 1963, where he spent the remainder of his extraordinary career. In his Laboratory of Radiobiology, he created an enriching environment where trainees worked together and shared in the joy of making new discoveries. He was generous with his time for each of his trainees, championed them, and nurtured their pursuit of innovative science. ‘The door of his office was always open, and students and fellows could walk right in’ (‘A Little Bit of History’ by Ms. Selina Little, Boston, MA).
An inveterate collector and tinkerer, Dr. Little had an impressive collection of old radios, televisions, medical instruments, and cars. His office, on the corner of the second floor of Building 1 at what is now the Harvard – T.H. Chan School of Public Health, contained a wealth of curious equipment and the careful maintenance and nurturing of old X-ray machines was also a specialty of Dr. Little’s laboratory. When, after four decades, the second floor was to be remodeled, his personal correspondence was moved to the Countway Library, and the collection of antique medical equipment and inventions made by Dr. Little was donated to the Historical Instruments Collection in Cambridge.
Dr. Little’s expertise was sought after by numerous organizations that provided scholarly input to the development of federal and international guidance on radiation protection of the public, and those with occupational or medical exposure to radiation. He was first elected to the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) in 1991 and became a Distinguished Emeritus Member in 2009. During his tenure, he served as a Member of Scientific Committee 1 and as a Consultant to Scientific Committee 83. He was also a member of the 1996 Annual Meeting Program Committee. Dr. Little’s outstanding contributions to the field of radiation protection were recognized by his selection as the Lauriston S. Taylor Lecturer in 2005. Dr Little’s Taylor Lecture, delivered at the NCRP Annual Meeting, was entitled ‘Nontargeted Effects of Radiation: Implications for Low Dose Exposures’. In addition, Dr. Little served as Chairman of the Board on Radiation Effects Research, Commission of Life Sciences, National Research Council, National Academies from 1992 to 1998, and Chairman of the Board of Scientific Councilors of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, among many other editorial boards and committees.
Dr. Little was deeply involved in several international organizations devoted to scholarship and guidance on radiation health effects. He served as Chairman of the Science Council of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima from 1992 to 1998. He also served as a Member of the International Commission Radiological Protection Committee 1. He was in high demand as an invited lecturer at many institutions of higher learning all around the world. The population of Dr. Little’s laboratory reflected his commitment to the need for international cooperation in scientific discovery and in the dissemination of learning in the radiation sciences. Many languages could be heard in the various labs and offices of Dr. Little’s Laboratory of Radiobiology. Dr. Little supported the academic programs of numerous departments around the world with great vigor and generosity. ‘He was appreciated not only for his remarkable knowledge but also for his incredible kindness’ (Professor Jean-Paul Jay-Gerin, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada).
Dr. Little was a recipient of the Radiation Research Society Failla Award in 1994 and the Henry S. Kaplan Distinguished Scientist Award from the International Association for Radiation Research in 1999. Dr. Little was a member of the Radiation Research Society and served as its President from 1986 to 1987, a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Physiological Society, the American Society for Photobiology, and the Health Physics Society. He authored or coauthored more than 525 scientific papers and holds a patent for ‘Cell Lines and Methods for Assaying Human Interchromosomal Recombination’.
Dr. Little’s biography includes holding an NIH Outstanding Investigator Award from 1988–2000 in recognition of his visionary science. However, perhaps his most important accomplishment was his inspired leadership of an NIH Radiation Biology training grant starting in 1975. Over his extraordinary career, Dr. Little mentored more than 250 individuals from all over the world, including undergraduate students, doctoral candidates, postdoctoral fellows and clinician-scientists. He was always willing to listen to their intriguing ideas, and shared with them his passion for discovery. Hundreds of students from HSPH, the Harvard ‘main’ campus, Harvard Medical School and MIT enrolled in his staple Radiation Biology course, which included a time-lapse movie of irradiated cells accompanied by Dr. Little’s special narration. In another lecture, Dr. Little presented an active illustration of the Poisson distribution of ‘hits’ that involved throwing chalk from a good distance at a grid carefully drawn on the blackboard. Dr. Little’s trainees nominated him for the first Scholar-in-Training Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Radiation Research Society, which he was awarded in 2005. Many of his trainees are themselves leaders in the fields of cancer biology, radiation biophysics, radiation oncology, occupational health, public health, and science education. Sixteen of Dr. Little’s trainees have become department chairs at their various institutions, and two became university deans.
In 1998, the first Annual Symposium of the John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences and Environmental Health was organized, funded by a generous gift from his former trainee Dr. Gerald Chan. In addition to providing a venue for scholarship, these ‘JBL Symposia’ also serve as a focal point for reunions of former members of Dr. Little’s extended laboratory family who bring their students, share recipes from ‘Christmas in July’ gatherings at Dr. Little’s home, and dream up ideas for future collaborations.
Dr. Little’s scientific contributions have triggered the ever-expanding horizon of radiation research and led to paradigm shifts in our understanding of the cellular responses to radiation. His legacy will endure for generations to come. The radiation science community extends its condolences to his wife, Françoise, his children, John and Frédéric, daughters-in-law Pamela and Claudia, his five grandchildren, his sister Selina and brother Warren.