In Memoriam: Tom Hannan

Tom Hannan, age 40, one of the principal founders of the movement for community-based clinical trials, died of AIDS on June 4, 1991, at his home in Manhattan.

Hannan was the volunteer administrator who worked with medical professionals and community leaders to put together New York's Community Research Initiative in 1987. He learned the complex Federal and other requirements for legally conducting treatment research with human volunteers, and showed that a community organization could sponsor such research in the offices of practicing physicians. As the organization proved itself, dozens of leading physicians joined. The Community Research Initiative served as a model for most of the similar groups which now exist across the United States.

Tom's apartment, where this writer stayed during visits to New York, was filled with experimental AIDS treatments which he was using personally. Later, his openness to new treatments got Tom involved in the East Coast/West Coast treatment disputes, and fired from the organization he had started. This happened after the Community Research Initiative rejected Project Inform's proposal to conduct a trial of Compound Q. Tom, who strongly favored the proposal, quietly organized much of the CRI staff to conduct the trial outside of the organization -- one of the earliest studies of this potential treatment for AIDS. Findings were quickly presented to the FDA, and helped to speed the development of larger, formal trials of the drug.

Hannan continued to serve on the IRB (Institutional Review Board) of the Community Research Initiative, until shortly before his death.

As founding director of New York's PWA Health Group, Tom was also one of the pioneers of the non-profit buyers' club movement.

At Tom's request, no memorial service was held.