Written by: Peter Anderson, D.V.M., Ph.D.

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Sanford P. Bishop, D.V.M., Ph.D. Bishop was a professor emeritus in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology.

Sandy Bishop was born in Springfield Vermont and was raised on a dairy farm as the eldest of four children. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire before receiving his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. He and his wife, Carol, moved to Ohio where Bishop received his Ph.D. in experimental pathology at Ohio State University.

After a successful research career at OSU rising through the faculty ranks, he was recruited to UAB in the mid 1970s by the newly appointed pathology chair, Dr. Jack Greer. Bishop and Greer were instrumental in leading the cardiovascular pathology core for the NIH-sponsored Myocardial Research Unit, and later, the Specialized Center of Research in Heart Disease, helping to cement UAB as a national leader in cardiovascular medicine and research.

Bishop led a robust NIH-sponsored basic research laboratory focused on studies of cardiac hypertrophy. He had a prolific publication record. He was 87-years-old when his last article with a UAB collaborator was published. He was active in the American Heart Association and the International Society for Heart Research and was named an ISHR Fellow.

Throughout his career he held numerous leadership positions within the Department of Pathology. He led and expanded the research division, later renamed the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology. He was active in professional and graduate education and was active in NIH study sections and national and international heart research organizations.

“Sandy was my major professor, a mentor and a good friend," said Dr. Peter Anderson, professor of Molecular and Cellular Pathology. “He was internationally recognized as an expert in cardiac structure and pathology. Sandy approached research problems with focus and energy and he expected academic rigor of all he worked with. But he also had a lighter side as evidenced by our Friday afternoon journal club called 'liquid seminars' where all the students and lab personnel enjoyed wine and cheese while discussing our ongoing research. Bishop had a major impact on the department's research growth.”

Please join us in fond remembrance of Dr. Sandy Bishop, a longtime colleague and friend of the UAB Department of Pathology.