Gastroenterologist and colorectal cancer screening pioneer David Ahlquist, MD, died Nov. 1 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was 69.
Dr. Ahlquist earned his medical degree from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Medical School in 1977 and spent the entirety of his career at the Mayo Clinic. He was the driving force behind the Mayo Clinic's partnership with Exact Sciences and is credited by Exact for helping to develop Cologuard, a noninvasive DNA-based screening test. After entering into the partnership, he served as the company's chief scientific officer.
Dr. Ahlquist had an accomplished career and made it his mission to promote CRC screening. He received several honors including the Mayo Clinic's Distinguished Investigator Award and the American Gastroenterological Association's William Beaumont Prize.
Dr. Ahlquist is survived by his wife of 48 years, Susan, three children and seven grandchildren.
"I could live a hundred lives and not meet as amazing of a person as Dave," said Kevin Conroy, Exact Sciences CEO and chair. "He pushed us to dream big dreams, with his oft-repeated calls to arms: 'Hard is not an excuse for not trying,' and 'If we can, we must.' It's hard to imagine a world without Dave in it."