Obituary of Basil Hilaris, MD

Hilaris, Basil S., MD., Born in Athens, Greece on September 3rd, 1928 to Anna and Stavros Hilaris, with his childhood during  World War II and the Greek Civil War.   He went on to graduate from the National University of Athens Medical School in 1955 with his Medical Degree.  The same year he immigrated to the United States, to the New York area and in 1957 he started working at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a Radiation Oncologist and was a Professor at the Weill Cornell Medical College.  He was one of the Pioneers in the field of Brachytherapy, the insertion of Radioactive Seeds in the treatment of various forms of cancer. Serving as Chief of the Brachytherapy Service, he was also a President of the American Brachytherapy Society and among his many awards, in 1996; he was the first recipient of the Marie Curie Gold Medal Award, presented for a major contribution in the development of the field of Brachytherapy. In 1988 he moved on to be Chairman of the Department of Radiation Medicine at New York Medical College and Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center until his retirement at the age of 80 in 2008.  In addition, he was an author of many books in the field of Radiation Oncology and Brachytherapy.  But, his favorite pastime was his research and authoring of books on the subject of Greek History and Ancient to Present Greek Medicine. He is Survived by his wife Constance and his three children, Stavros, Peter and Anna and his five Grandchildren, Dina, James, Nicholas, Alexandra, Anthony, daughter-in-law Janet and son-in-law Tony and brother George Hilaris and family.    In Lieu of flowers, you may make donations in memory of, to the Metropolitan Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Theologian, 353 East Clinton Ave, Tenafly, NJ 07670. The Wake will be held Wednesday July 11th from 4-8pm at the Frank A. Patti & Kenneth Mikatarian Funeral Home, 327 Main Street, Fort Lee NJ 07024. The Funeral Service will be held on Thursday July 12th at 11:00 AM in the Metropolitan Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Theologian, 353 East Clinton Ave, Tenafly, NJ 07670, with the interment at the Fairview Mausoleum. For condolences, directions, or information call (201) 944-0100 or www.frankpatti.com