Leon Emanuel Rosenberg (March 3, 1933 – July 22, 2022) was an American physician-scientist, geneticist, and educator. He served as chair of the department of human genetics and also as dean of the medical school of Yale University.[3] He then worked as the chief scientific officer of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical company.[4] He wrote more than 300 research articles, chapters, and books on his scientific research and public policy views across his career.[5][6]

Leon Emanuel Rosenberg
Born(1933-03-03)March 3, 1933
DiedJuly 22, 2022(2022-07-22) (aged 89)
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin (B.A., M.D.)
Spouses
Elaine Lewis
(m. 1954; div. 1972)
Diane Drobnis
(m. 1979)
Awards
Scientific career
InstitutionsYale University
Websitemolbio.princeton.edu/people/leon-rosenberg

Education edit

Rosenberg graduated from Madison West High School in 1950, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1954 followed by his Doctor of Medicine degree from the same university in 1957.[7] He worked as a clinical associate at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from 1959 to 1962[8] and as a senior investigator at the NCI from 1963 to 1965.

Research and career edit

He started his professional career at the Yale University School of Medicine in 1965 as an assistant professor of medicine, was promoted to chair of human genetics in 1972 and later to the position of dean of the Yale School of Medicine,[9] a post he held from 1984 to 1991. Subsequently, he served as the chief scientific officer (CSO) of the Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) Pharmaceutical Company from 1991 to 1998. Thereafter, he spent 16 years at Princeton University as a lecturer at the rank of professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.[10] Before retiring in 2018, he worked as an upper school science teacher and scientist in residence at the Princeton Day School.[11]

Rosenberg carried out his research on human inherited disorders of amino acid and organic acid metabolism[12] briefly at NCI and for 26 years at Yale University.[13] He discovered new inherited disorders of organic acid metabolism (propionic and methylmalonic acidemia),[14] and defined key aspects of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency leading to ammonia intoxication, including its mode of inheritance and mechanism of the enzyme's transport to mitochondria.[15] He discovered several inherited defects in vitamin B12 metabolism in children and showed that they could be treated successfully with large supplements of the vitamin.[16]

Awards and honors edit

In 1976, Rosenberg was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS). Additional memberships include the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).[17] He received honorary degrees from the University of Wisconsin and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.[18] In 2003, he received the Kober medal[19] from the Association of American Physicians. In 2011, he received the McKusick Award[20] from the American Society of Human Genetics.

Personal life edit

Rosenberg married Elaine Lewis in 1954. They had three children (Robert, Diana, and David) before divorcing in 1972. In 1979, he married Diane Drobnis, a senior editor in medical publishing. They had a daughter named Alexa.[21][22] Rosenberg died at the age of 89 on 22 July 2022.[23]

Selected publications edit

  • DNA and Other Strands: The Making of a Human Geneticist". Annual Reviews of Genetics and Genomics (2013).[24]
  • A Gender Gap in the Next Generation of Physician-Scientists: Medical Student Interest and Participation in Research. Journal of Investigative Medicine (2001).[25]
  • Building bridges between academia and industry: forms, foundations, functions. Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine (1997).[26]
  • Treating Genetic Diseases: Lessons from Three Children. Journal of Pediatric Research (1990).[27]
  • The Physician-Scientist: An Essential—and Fragile—Link in the Medical Research Chain. Journal of Clinical Investigation (1999).[28]

References edit

  1. ^ "amacad.org" (PDF). amacad.org.
  2. ^ "John Simon Guggenheim Foundation". gf.org.
  3. ^ "For the next generation of students, Hope 110 will be known as "Rosenberg" | Yale School of Medicine". medicine.yale.edu. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  4. ^ "Physician and Geneticist Leon Rosenberg Dies at 89". the-scientist.com. August 3, 2022.
  5. ^ "Leon E. Rosenberg's research works | Princeton University, New Jersey (PU) and other places". ResearchGate. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  6. ^ "Author: Leon E. Rosenberg". www.dana.org. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  7. ^ Process, Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the NIH Research Priority-Setting (1998). Committee and Staff Biographies. National Academies Press (US).
  8. ^ "Medical Historical Library: Research Tools". doc1.med.yale.edu. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  9. ^ "For the next generation of students, Hope 110 will be known as "Rosenberg" | Yale School of Medicine". medicine.yale.edu. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  10. ^ "Leon Rosenberg | Center for Health and Wellbeing". chw.princeton.edu. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  11. ^ "A History of Princeton Day School in 12 Stories: Dr. Leon Rosenberg". www.pds.org. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  12. ^ Rosenberg, Leon E.; Tanaka, Kay (1976), Freinkel, Norbert (ed.), "Metabolism of Amino Acids and Organic Acids", The Year in Metabolism 1975–1976, Springer US, pp. 181–212, doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-7656-9_7, ISBN 9781468476569
  13. ^ "Leon Rosenberg – Publications". academictree.org. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  14. ^ Hsla, Yujen Edward; Lilljeqvist, Anne-Charlotte; Rosenberg, Leon E. (November 15, 1968). "Methylmalonic Aciduria: Metabolic Block Localization and Vitamin B12 Dependency". Science. 162 (3855): 805–807. Bibcode:1968Sci...162..805R. doi:10.1126/science.162.3855.805. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 5686220. S2CID 23466322.
  15. ^ McReynolds, John W.; Mantagos, Stephanos; Brusilow, Saul; Rosenberg, Leon E. (September 1, 1978). "Treatment of complete ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency with nitrogen-free analogues of essential amino acids". The Journal of Pediatrics. 93 (3): 421–427. doi:10.1016/S0022-3476(78)81149-4. ISSN 0022-3476. PMID 690755.
  16. ^ Rosenberg, Leon E. (September 3, 2014). "Four Children and Yale: The Making of a Human Geneticist". The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine. 87 (3): 379–387. ISSN 0044-0086. PMC 4144292. PMID 25191153.
  17. ^ "Leon Rosenberg". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  18. ^ Rosenberg, Leon E.; Rosenberg, Diane Drobnis (June 2012). Human Genes and Genomes: Science, Health, Society 1st Edition. ISBN 978-0123852120.
  19. ^ Rosenberg, Irwin H. (December 2003). "Presentation of the Kober Medal to Leon Rosenberg". The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 112 (12): S3–6. ISSN 0021-9738. PMID 14702960.
  20. ^ HumanGeneticsSociety (December 13, 2017), ASHG/ICHG 2011: Leon Rosenberg, McKusick Awardee, retrieved May 28, 2019
  21. ^ Rosenberg, Leon E. (2014). "DNA and Other Strands: The Making of a Human Geneticist". Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics. 15 (1): 1–26. doi:10.1146/annurev-genom-090413-025505. PMID 24387667.
  22. ^ "Diane Drobnis Wed To Yale Professor". The New York Times. July 5, 1979. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  23. ^ "In Memoriam: Leon Rosenberg, MD". Yale School of Medicine. Yale School of Medicine. July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  24. ^ Rosenberg, Leon E. (August 31, 2014). "DNA and Other Strands: The Making of a Human Geneticist". Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics. 15 (1): 1–26. doi:10.1146/annurev-genom-090413-025505. ISSN 1527-8204. PMID 24387667.
  25. ^ Rosenberg, Leon E.; Castro, Marcia C.; Singer, Burton H.; Guelich, Jill M. (November 1, 2002). "A Gender Gap in the Next Generation of Physician-Scientists: Medical Student Interest and Participation in Research". Journal of Investigative Medicine. 50 (6): 412–418. doi:10.1136/jim-50-06-01. ISSN 1081-5589. PMID 12425427. S2CID 21313005.
  26. ^ Bander, K. W.; Rosenberg, L. E. (1997). "Building bridges between academia and industry: forms; foundations; functions". The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine. 70 (3): 213–217. ISSN 0044-0086. PMC 2589093. PMID 9544491.
  27. ^ Rosenberg, Leon E. (June 1990). "Treating Genetic Diseases: Lessons from Three Children". Pediatric Research. 27 (6): S10–S16. doi:10.1203/00006450-199006001-00004. ISSN 1530-0447. PMID 2192347.
  28. ^ Rosenberg, Leon E. (June 15, 1999). "The physician-scientist: An essential – and fragile – link in the medical research chain". The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 103 (12): 1621–1626. doi:10.1172/JCI7304. ISSN 0021-9738. PMC 408393. PMID 10377167.