Finding Aid to the Harold E. Varmus Papers, 1967-1993, bulk 1983-1993
Finding Aid written by Jane Bassett, Valerie Wheat, and Josué Hurtado
UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management, Archives and Special Collections
University of California, San Francisco
530 Parnassus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94143-0840
Phone: (415) 476-8112
Fax: (415) 476-4653
Email: http://www.library.ucsf.edu/collres/archives/contactform.html
URL: http://www.library.ucsf.edu/collres/archives/
© 2006
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Finding Aid to the Harold E. Varmus Papers, 1967-1993, bulk 1983-1993
Collection Number: MSS 93-51
UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management, Archives and Special Collections
- Finding Aid Written By:
- Jane Bassett, Valerie Wheat, and Josué Hurtado
- Date Completed:
-
January 2007
© 2007 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Harold E. Varmus papers
Date (inclusive): 1967-1993,
Date (bulk): bulk 1983-1993
Collection Number: MSS 93-51
Creator :
Varmus, Harold
Extent:
Number of containers: 5 cartons, 3 boxes
Linear feet: 7.75
Repository: The UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management, Archives and Special Collections
University of California, San Francisco
530 Parnassus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94143-0840
Phone: (415) 476-8112
Fax: (415) 476-4653
Email: http://www.library.ucsf.edu/collres/archives/contactform.html
URL: http://www.library.ucsf.edu/collres/archives/
Abstract: This collection documents Dr. Harold Varmus' activities as a UCSF professor, research scientist, and author and editor of
international repute. The teaching materials, research files, and journal club entries reflect Dr. Varmus' investigations
in the field of oncogenes and retroviruses and the implications for understanding mechanisms of cancer, Hepatitis B, and the
Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The correspondence files illustrate the process of bringing scientific research from experiment
to manuscript and then journal article review and publication. They also reflect the increased visibility and demands of
a Nobel Prize recipient (in collaboration with J. Michael Bishop of UCSF in 1989).
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog:
http://www.library.ucsf.edu/ .
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research; some correspondence files are restricted
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manager of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for
publication is given on behalf of the UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management as the owner of the physical items
and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Harold E. Varmus Papers, MSS 93-51, The UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management, Archives
and Special Collections, University of California, San Francisco.
Alternate Forms Available
Related Collections
MSS 84-25 and MSS 88-47
Separated Material
None
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Varmus, Harold
Human Retrovirus Study Group
AIDS (Disease)
Nobel prizes
Oncogenes
Virologists--California--San Francisco
Virology--Research--California--San Francisco
Retroviruses
Cancer cells
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Harold E. Varmus Papers were donated to UCSF by Dr. Varmus in 1993.
Processing Information
Processed by Jane Bassett and Valerie Wheat
Biographical Information
Born in Oceanside, New York, December 18, 1939, Harold E. Varmus received his undergraduate degree (B.A. magna cum laude)
from Amherst College in 1961, an M.A. (in literature) the following year from Harvard University, and the M.D. from Columbia
University in 1966. From 1967 to 1970 Varmus was an intern in medicine (1966-67) and Assistant Resident in Medicine (1967-68)
at Presbyterian Hospital, New York, and Clinical Associate at the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases,
Bethesda, MD (1968-70). In 1970 he was appointed a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer in the Department of Microbiology at
UCSF, for 1970-72. At the end of this period Dr. Varmus was appointed Assistant Professor in Residence, for 1972-74, Associate
Professor (1974-79), and full Professor, 1979-1993, in that department. He was on the faculty of the Molecular Medicine group
in the Program in Biological Sciences (PIBS) consortium.
In conjunction with J. Michael Bishop, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1989 for their discovery
of the cellular origin of retroviral oncogenes. They also received the Alfred P. Sloan Prize from the General Motors Cancer
Research Foundation in 1984. Other research colleagues on the faculty at UCSF included Y.W. Kan (hemoglobinopathies), Gordon
Tomkins and Keith Yamamoto (glucocorticoid action), and Donald Ganem (hepatitis B viruses). In 1985 Dr. Varmus was selected
to give the Annual Faculty Research Lecture at UCSF entitled "Tree-Shaking and Jelly-Making: Growing Up with Retroviruses."
In 1993, he was appointed Director of the National Institutes of Health where he instituted administrative and personnel reforms,
changed the peer review system, created the online publications archive E-biomed, and dealt with political issues such as
human embryo research. He resigned in 1999 to become Director of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and
was named President of that institution in 2000. In 2002, Varmus was named a recipient of the 2001 National Medal of Science
and recognized at a ceremony at the White House with President George W. Bush.
Varmus is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Omega Alpha, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American
Society for Microbiology. He was elected to the National Academy of Science in 1984 and to the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences in 1988. Among his honors are the following: Woodrow Wilson Fellow (1961-62); International Fellow of Columbia University
(1963-64); Smith, Kline, and French Foreign Fellow (Bareilly, India) in 1961; Senior Dernham Fellow, California Division,
American Cancer Society (1970-72); USPHS Research Career Development Awardee, 1972-77; Josiah Macy Scholar (Imperial Cancer
Research Fund, London, 1978-79); California scientist of the Year, 1982; Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, 1982;
Passano Foundation Award, 1983; Armand Hammer Cancer Prize, 1984; Gairdner Foundation International Award, 1984; and the American
College of Physicians Award, 1987. He received an honorary degree from Amherst College in 1985 and the Alumni Gold Medal
from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1989.
Dr. Varmus served as associate editor of
Cell and Virology (1974-84), and as a member of various working groups and study sections at the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes
of Health. From 1981-1986, Varmus chaired the Retrovirus Study Group within the Vertebrate Virus Subcommitee of the International
Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. In this role he convened a subcommittee to investigate proposed nomenclature of AIDS-associated
viruses in humans. He has co-authored more than 300 scientific papers and four books, including
Genes and the Biology of Cancer for a general audience.
System of Arrangement
Arranged to the folder level.
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection documents Dr. Harold Varmus's activities as a professor in the UCSF Department of Microbiology and as head
of the Virology Research Group before he moved to Washington, D.C. to become director of the National Institutes of Health.
During this time he was a leading scientist in the study of cancer-causing genes called oncogenes. His collaboration with
J. Michael Bishop on the Rous Sarcoma Virus led to their receipt of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1989. The
lectures, research, and grant proposal files capture a very productive period of research in the molecular biology of retroviruses
and illustrate the multiple roles of a research scientist within a university setting.
The collection includes: correspondence, appointment calendars, financial records relating to grants awarded to UCSF by
the National Institutes of Health and other agencies, departmental budgets from 1980-1988, teaching and research materials.
There are also minutes of professional meetings, correspondence and materials from workshops and papers, and documentation
of participation in organizations or advisory boards.
The Collection is divided into 6 Series. I. Correspondence; II. Financial Records; III. Lecture Notes; IV. Research; V. Professional
Activities; and VI. Appointment Calendars and Directories.
Series 1
Correspondence
1986-1993
Physical Description:
100 Folders : Carton 1 Folders 1/1-1/50 ; Carton 2 Folders 2/1-2/20; Carton 6 Folders 6/1-6/9 ; Carton 7 Folders 7/1-7/7
Carton 8 Folders 8/1-8/10
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
This series contains handwritten and typewritten letters, notes, cards, and facsimiles, arranged chronologically. Most of
the letters concern invitations to speak, attend a symposium, or contribute to a publication. Other topics are departmental
or inter-university matters, requests to or from other laboratories for clones, and exchanges of opinions on editorial or
ethics matters. In these communications, Dr. Varmus is a highly critical reader and writer whose comments are highly valued.
Items listed as restricted were transferred from the correspondence files to separate containers.
Carton 6, Folder 1-9
Letters of Recommendation (RESTRICTED)
1987-1991
Carton 7, Folder 1-4
Letters of Recommendation (RESTRICTED)
1991-1993
Carton 7, Folder 5-7
Awards Committees (RESTRICTED)
1985-1987
Carton 8, Folder 1-4
Lab Personnel/Student Records (RESTRICTED)
1987-1993
Carton 8, Folder 5
Correspondence (RESTRICTED)
1988-1990
Carton 8, Folder 6-10
Journal Referee Correspondence (RESTRICTED)
1987-1993
Series 2
Financial Records
1974-1993
Physical Description:
32 Folders : Carton 2 Folders 2/21-2/43 ; Carton 3 Folders 3/1-3/9
Scope and Content Note
This series consists of financial records reflecting Varmus' role as a Primary Investigator on various grant funded projects
and his role as a member of UCSF's Department of Microbiology.
2.1
Grant proposals and correspondence
1974-1993
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by granting agency.
Scope and Content Note
Grant proposals and correspondence, reviewer comments, and progress reports for grant-funded projects with Harold Varmus as
Principal Investigator unless noted.
Carton 2, Folder 21
Biochemical Aspects of Rous Sarcoma Virus
1983-1985
Carton 2, Folder 22
Retroviral Replication and Oncogenes
1985
Carton 2, Folder 23-24
Council for Tobacco Research
Carton 2, Folder 23-24
Functional Analysis of Cellular Oncogenes Activated ring
Tumorigenesis
1983-1985
Carton 2, Folder 25-43
National Institutes of Health
Carton 2, Folder 25-30
Development of New Approaches to Inhibit Growth of HIV
1988-1993
Carton 2, Folder 31-33
Molecular Analysis of Retroviruses and Oncogenes
1985-1992
Carton 2, Folder 34-35
Molecular Biology of Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus
1976-1986
Carton 2, Folder 36-37
Oncogenic Potential of the Hepatitis B-Type Virus
1982-1988
Carton 2, Folder 38
Rous Sarcoma Virus: Replication and Cellular Transformation (J. Michael Bishop, Principal Investigator)
1974
Carton 2, Folder 39-42
Structural Biology and Targeted Drug Design for AIDS (George L. Kenyon, Principal Investigator)
1992-1993
Carton 2, Folder 43
Training grant applications for Basic Research in Hematology and Oncology (Yuet W. Kan, Principal Investigator) and The Molecular
Analysis of Tumor Viruses (J. Michael Bishop, Principal Investigator)
2.2
Department of Microbiology budgets
1980-1988
Scope and Content Note
Department of Microbiology budgets files (1980-1988) are primarily computer printouts of departmental appropriations, income,
and expenditures and accompanying memos and notes. Renovation folder involves planning by Capital Project Management and
the department to renovate Virology Research Group space in the Health Sciences East building 4th floor.
Carton 3, Folder 1-8
Departmental budgets
1980-1988
Series 3
Lecture Notes
1967-1993
Physical Description:
42 Folders ; Carton 3 Folders 3/10-3/32 ; Carton 4 Folders 4/1-4/18
Arrangement
Organized alphabetically by topic of lectures.
Scope and Content Note
Folders organized alphabetically by topic of lectures given by Harold Varmus at UCSF in the virology and microbiology series
and at Stanford University's Program in Cancer Biology. "A Seminar on Genetic Engineering" was offered under Microbiology
100A. One of his contributions was to create and supervise a program of intensive small group instruction in microbiology.
Background materials range from 1967 through 1993. As well as lecture notes and syllabi, files contain annotated reprints,
articles and letters to the editor from scientific and popular journals, clippings, generic case histories, lists of references
and supplementary readings, and course outlines from other professors such as J. Michael Bishop. Visual materials include
charts, tables and diagrams; overhead transparencies, and photographs.
Carton 3, Folder 12-13
Genetic Engineering Seminar
1975
Carton 3, Folder 15-16
Medical School Teaching - Microbiology
1973-1984
Carton 3, Folder 23
Retroviruses and Integration
1983-1988
Carton 3, Folder 31-32
Small DNA Viruses
1990-1993
Carton 4, Folder 1-8
Special Topics - New Ideas about Cancer Causation
1981-1983
Series 4
Research
1980-1991
Physical Description:
24 Folders ; Carton 4 Folders 4/19-4/31 ; Carton 5 Folders 5/1-5/12
4.1
Notes
1980-1989
Arrangement
Research material is arranged alphabetically by topic.
Scope and Content Note
Files contain notes from experiments, lab notes on materials and methods, computer-generated and hand drawn cell lines, graphs
and photographs and gels from electron microscopes. Other material includes correspondence, scientific papers and reprints,
abstracts for poster presentations, and index cards.
Carton 4, Folder 20
DNAse I Experiments
c. 1980
Carton 4, Folder 21
Experiments in Progress
1980
Carton 4, Folder 28-30
MLV-MTL Hybrids
1982-1989
Carton 5, Folder 1
Retinoblasta
1979-1982,
n.d.
Carton 5, Folder 2
Retinoblasta/Wilms' Tumor
1985-1988
4.2
Journal Clubs
1988-1991
Scope and Content Note
Journal clubs files are made up of notes, index cards, scientific journal articles, overhead transparencies. The Halloween
folder notes "Bizarre Events After Introduction of DNA Into Eukaryotic Cells."
Series 5
Professional Activitie
1984-1993
Physical Description:
18 Folders : Carton 5 Folders 5/13-5/30
Scope and Content Note
This series contains meeting minutes, notes, papers, and correspondence regarding workshops and meetings attended by Dr. Varmus,
including a meeting he organized under the auspices of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Folder
5/13 of press coverage on use of the term HIV in 1986 and file 5/25 are related to files from a Subcommittee on Taxonomy of
AIDS Varmus led from 1984-1986 (see MSS 88-47, carton 2).
Carton 5, Folder 14
American Association for the Advancement of Science
1988
Carton 5, Folder 15
Cancer Surveys correspondence
1985-1986
Carton 5, Folder 16
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: Hepatitis B Viruses meeting
1984-1985
Carton 5, Folder 19
General Motors Research Foundation meeting
1984-1985
Carton 5, Folder 21
Molecular Basis of Blood Diseases
1991-1993
Carton 5, Folder 22-24
Merck Board of Advisors
1985-1988
Carton 5, Folder 25
Naming the AIDS Virus
1986
Carton 5, Folder 26
"Normal and Oncogenic Functions of the SRC and INT-1 Genes"
undated
Carton 5, Folder 28
UCSF Faculty Meeting Minutes
1988-1992
Carton 5, Folder 29
UCSF Workshop on Cancer
1987
Carton 5, Folder 30
Workshop on Genes and Development in India
1987-1988
Series 6
Appointment Calendars and Directories
1987-1993
Physical Description:
8 folders : Carton 5 Folders 5/31-5/38
Scope and Content Note
This series includes typewritten schedules of the "week to come." Events include group meetings, seminars, research talks,
lectures, grand rounds, student/faculty journal club, informal seminars and discussions, Src breakfasts, Rous lunches, and
High Tea.
Carton 5, Folder 31-37
Appointment calendar
1987-1993
Carton 5, Folder 38
Telephone directory lists of personnel, faculty
1986 1988,
undated
