Treating 75,000 patients a year, the center has become among the top five busiest in the country. It receives $177 million in research funding and conducts more than 500 clinical trials each year, giving patients access to developing treatments.

Four satellite Siteman Cancer Centers have opened across the St. Louis region, with a fifth opening this month in the Metro East.

Alvin Siteman never stopped giving throughout the growth, which has led to some of the biggest discoveries in cancer research, and hes never stopped calling Eberlein his partner.

You know, Ruth and I are very private people, but almost everywhere I go I see my name, Siteman recently told Eberlein. I suppose I have you to thank for that.

In a rare combination, Siteman and Eberlein have been named the 2019 Citizens of the Year. The honor, usually given to just one person, is sponsored by the Post-Dispatch and selected by a committee of past winners.

I still joke with him. I say, Gee, Al, we werent even a start-up and you were willing to invest in us? What did you see? said Eberlein, 68. (Siteman, 91, has yet to grant any media requests for interviews or photos.) For him, it was a passion.

Eberlein and Siteman can attribute their successful partnership to similar trajectories of hard work, passion and curiosity.

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Dr. Timothy Eberlein and Alvin Siteman named Citizens of the Year 2019 - STLtoday.com