Dr. David Figge renowned for gynecologic expertise

David Figge, M.D., earned international renown during his nearly half-century as a physician, researcher and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington.

He developed the UW's division of gynecologic oncology and served as its director, guiding work on women's-health problems, including false-negative results for Pap smears.

He verified that the human papilloma virus, sometimes undetected, can play a role in the development of certain cancers.

"Looking through David's (resume) is like looking through a medical history of his specialty," said his wife of 49 years, Lorraine Figge of Seattle.

Dr. Figge's specialty and the subject of dozens of landmark papers was the development, detection and treatment of vulvar cancer.

"He was a remarkable man," said UW colleague Hisham Tamimi. "He was the first in the Pacific Northwest to be board-certified as a gynecologic oncologist, in the early 1970s. He really was the first to dedicate himself to taking care of women with gynecological cancer."

Dr. Figge died Friday (June 16) after a stroke. He was 75.

Born in Twin Falls, Idaho, he earned military honors for his intelligence work in Europe during World War II.

He earned his medical degree at Northwestern University in 1950 and joined the UW faculty as an assistant in 1953.

Dr. Figge wrote or co-wrote more than 80 articles and papers.

He served as chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Harborview Hospital, now Harborview Medical Center, from 1963 to 1969, director of gynecology at UW Medical Center from 1969 to 1977 and director of the division of gynecologic oncology from 1977 to 1989.

"He was a real gentleman," said Tamimi. "He always supported the graduate students and faculty, and they loved him. When he was building up the gynecological oncology division, he recruited me from the (Memorial) Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. But he was world-known for screening for cervical cancer in the 1960s, before I joined him."

Dr. Figge retired as a UW professor emeritus in 1995.

"He also was a very gifted surgeon and had expertise in a wide range of gynecologic malignancies," said colleague Barbara Goff. "Even after he retired he came into the office once or twice a week, and was working on a syllabus revision."

He was a past president of Seattle Gynecological Society. He also had been a president of the Western Association of Gynecologists and secretary-treasurer and president of the Pacific Coast Obstetrical and Gynecological Society.

Also surviving are his sons, John Figge of Seattle and David Figge Jr. of Bellevue, and three grandchildren.

A public memorial service will be held later. Donations may go to the David Figge Oncology Award, c/o UW School of Medicine, Box 356460, Seattle, WA 98195.

Carole Beers' e-mail address is cbeers@seattletimes.com