Franklyn Prendergast, a force in science and medicine at Mayo Clinic, dies at 78

Matthew Stolle, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
Updated ·3 min read

Oct. 29—ROCHESTER — Mayo Clinic's Dr. Franklyn Prendergast was the Jackie Robinson in the field of medicine and science for minority physicians.

Armed with a first-rate intellect, the Jamaican-raised Prendergast attended Lincoln College, University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He arrived in Rochester in 1971 to begin his residency in internal medicine.

He became a

force in science and medicine, rising rapidly through the ranks,

reaching its pinnacle in 1995 when he was appointed director of the Mayo Comprehensive Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Prendergast died on Oct. 12 at the age of 78.

History accords a special place and prestige to those who reach mountaintops. And Prendergast was the first Black to be named a director of an National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. His shooting star in medicine reimagined what was possible for other minority physicians.

"He was the equivalent of my Jackie Robinson," said Dr. Robert Winn, director of the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. "He certainly was a role model. But more importantly, he made me think that I could — by his being able to not only break the barrier but perform in such an outstanding way."

To appreciate Prendergast's achievement, there are thousands of cancer centers in the U.S. but only several dozen that bear the gold seal of approval as designated by the federal government as being among the "best of the best in the country." Those include Mayo and VCU.

Today there are five African Americans who run NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers.

"And each of us would say, we know that the standard of excellence is Dr. Prendergast," Winn said.

Once, when asked by a young Black physician what it was like for a Jamaican to settle in monolithically white Rochester in the early 1970s, Prendergast compared Rochester to a "cream sauce."

"It's easy once you get used to the fact that they put white cream sauces on everything," Prendergast said. "I am talking about more than food."

Prendergast gave a clue to his own rise and success when he offered Winn advice after he was named director of VCU in 2019.

"One, don't get distracted by the negative. Focus on what you can get done. And two, always focus on the excellence of the science," Winn said. "And that's all I did."

Prendergast served in several other leadership roles at Mayo, including chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, director for Research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and individualized and regenerative medicine. He was a 2019 recipient of the Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumni Award. He was also a former member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors and its board of trustees.

"Dr. Prendergast's life and career were marked by an unwavering commitment to the field of medicine and a relentless pursuit of knowledge," Mayo Clinic said in a statement about Prendergast's life and work. "His legacy, which spans decades of groundbreaking research and institutional leadership, continues to inspire and influence the future of healthcare and scientific exploration. Mayo Clinic extends deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Prendergast."