Robert J. Gorlin

Robert J. Gorlin
Born	(1923-01-11)January 11, 1923 Hudson, New York
Died	August 29, 2006(2006-08-29) (aged 83) Minneapolis, Minnesota
Education	Columbia University Washington University in St. Louis University of Iowa
Children	2
Awards	Goldhaber Award from Harvard University, American Dental Association's Gold Medal Award for Lifetime Achievements, American Society of Human Genetics Award
Scientific career
Fields	Oral pathology, genetics
Institutions	University of Minnesota School of Dentistry

Robert James Gorlin (January 11, 1923 – August 29, 2006) was an American oral pathologist, human geneticist and academic at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry.^[1]

Biography

Robert Gorlin was born on January 11, 1923, in Hudson, New York.^[2][3] Raised in Newark, New Jersey, Gorlin graduated from Weequahic High School in 1940.^[4] After receiving an A.B. degree in 1943 from Columbia University, Gorlin volunteered for the Army, where he was instructed to apply to dental school. He graduated in 1947 from Washington University School of Dental Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri,^[5] and then completed a master's degree in oral pathology from the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa), Iowa City, in 1956.

That same year, he joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Minneapolis, as an associate professor and chair of the divisions of oral histology and oral pathology. At the time of his death, he was the UM Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Oral Pathology. He published over 600 articles in a variety of topics, and held joint appointments with the University of Minnesota's departments of pediatric medicine, laboratory medicine and pathology, obstetrics and gynecology, otolaryngology and dermatology.^[6]

Gorlin is survived by his children, Jed and Cathy.^[3]

Awards

• 1961: Guggenheim Fellowship^[7]
• 1997: Senior Fellow in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences^[8]
• 1997: Goldhaber Award from Harvard University^[8]
• 1997: Premio Phoenix Anni Verdi Award, presented by the Italian Medical Genetics Society^[8]
• 2002: Honorary Doctor of Science, University of Minnesota’s highest honor ^[9]
• 2003: American Dental Association's Gold Medal Award for Lifetime Achievements ^[8]
• 2004: American Society of Human Genetics Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Education ^[10]
• Five honorary doctorate degrees from universities in Athens, Dublin, and Copenhagen
• The invited presenter at the Nobel Foundation conference in Stockholm on the topic of genetic signaling in development and disease

See also

• Gorlin sign
• Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome
• Focal dermal hypoplasia

References

1. Hoyle, Joe (October 2006). "Dr. Robert J. Gorlin, world-renowned oral pathologist, dies at 83". Journal of the American Dental Association. 137 (10): 1372–1373. doi:10.14219/jada.archive.2006.0042. ISSN 0002-8177. PMID 17012713.
2. Balci, S. (2007). "To the memory of Robert J. Gorlin". Genetics in Medicine. 9 (3): 195. doi:10.1097/GIM.0b013e3180330049.
3. "Robert J. Gorlin, MS DDS". Star Tribune. August 30, 2006. p. B6. Retrieved March 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Distinguished Weequahic Alumni, Weequahic High School Alumni Association. Accessed December 19, 2019. "Dr. Robert Gorlin (1940) a world renowned oral pathologist."
5. Cohen Jr., M. Michael (April 2007). "Gorlin 1923-2006: Evolution of His Phenotype". American Journal of Human Genetics. 80 (4): 585–587. doi:10.1086/513881. PMC 1852713.
6. "School of Dentistry loses a respected colleague and friend". University of Minnesota. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
7. "John Simon Guggenheim Foundation | Robert J. Gorlin".
8. "Correction". Journal of Medical Genetics. 47 (12): 862. 2007. doi:10.1136/jmg.2006.048397. S2CID 219542341.
9. "Minnesota Gene Pool Blog: A titan in the field of genetics has crossed over". Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
10. "Past Award Recipients | ASHG". www.ashg.org. Archived from the original on 2008-07-25.