Aaron Bunsen Lerner (September 21, 1920 – February 3, 2007) was an American physician, researcher and professor who is known for the discovery of

melatonin Melatonin, an indoleamine, is a natural compound produced by various organisms, including bacteria and eukaryotes. Its discovery in 1958 by Aaron B. Lerner and colleagues stemmed from the isolation of a substance from the pineal gland of cow ...

. He was the first chair of the Department of Dermatology at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

Life and career

Born in 1920 in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, Lerner received his medical degree and a PhD in chemistry from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

in 1945. After teaching at the universities of Michigan and Oregon, he joined the

Yale University School of Medicine The Yale School of Medicine is the medical school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813. It is the sixth-oldest m ...

as an associate professor of medicine in 1955. The following year he became director of the

dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the Human skin, skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A List of dermatologists, ...

section within the Department of

Internal Medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...

, and when the Department of Dermatology was established in 1971 he was appointed its first chair. When Professor Lerner retired in 1991, he was named a Professor Emeritus of Dermatology. He was in 1973 elected to membership in the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

(Medical physiology and metabolism). Lerner is perhaps best known for leading the team of researchers who isolated and named, in 1958, the hormone

. He was an expert in the metabolic basis of inherited diseases, particularly

vitiligo Vitiligo (, ) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color. The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but it may be related to immune system changes, genetic factors, stress, or sun exposure, and susceptibili ...

for which he, in the 1980s, developed a skin transplantation therapy. Lerner also isolated the compound

melanocyte-stimulating hormone The melanocyte-stimulating hormones, known collectively as MSH, also known as melanotropins or intermedins, are a family of peptide hormones and neuropeptides consisting of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), β-melanocyte-stimulating ...

(MSH). Lerner was married to Marguerite Rush Lerner,, an author of children's books and a book about admission to medical school (''Medical School: The Interview and the Applicant''). Their two sons are both dermatologists.Health.usnews.com About Michael Lerner
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References

External links

Aaron Lerner Papers (MS 1896).
Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lerner, Aaron B American dermatologists Dermatologists Jewish physicians 1920 births 2007 deaths University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering alumni Yale School of Medicine faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences American medical researchers University of Minnesota Medical School alumni Members of the National Academy of Medicine