Samuel Rahbar ( fa, سموئیلِ رهبر ''Samu'il-e Rahbar'' May 12, 1929 - November 10, 2012) was an Iranian scientist who discovered the linkage between diabetes and HbA1C, a form of

hemoglobin Hemoglobin (haemoglobin BrE) (from the Greek word αἷμα, ''haîma'' 'blood' + Latin ''globus'' 'ball, sphere' + ''-in'') (), abbreviated Hb or Hgb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein present in red blood cells (erythroc ...

used primarily to identify plasma

glucose Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, u ...

concentration In chemistry, concentration is the abundance of a constituent divided by the total volume of a mixture. Several types of mathematical description can be distinguished: '' mass concentration'', '' molar concentration'', ''number concentration'', ...

over time. Rahbar was born into a Jewish family in the Iranian city of Hamedan in 1929. He obtained his MD degree from the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

in 1953 and a

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degree in

immunology Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see ther ...

from the same university in 1963. From 1952 to 1960 Rahbar pursued mainly clinical activities in

Abadan Abadan ( fa, آبادان ''Ābādān'', ) is a city and capital of Abadan County, Khuzestan Province, which is located in the southwest of Iran. It lies on Abadan Island ( long, 3–19 km or 2–12 miles wide). The island is bounde ...

and

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, returning to academic life as a postdoctoral fellow in 1959. After earning his PhD, he was promoted to assistant professor in 1963 and to

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the '' North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is ...

in 1965 in the Department of Immunology. Rahbar spent 1968–1969 as a visiting scientist at the Department of Medicine of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, where he collaborated with Helen M. Ranney. After his return to Tehran, Rahbar was promoted to

full professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professo ...

in 1970 and to director of the Department of Applied Biology in the University of Tehran Medical School in Tehran. After the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Rahbar was laid off from his position as Director of the Department of Applied Biology at Tehran University. As a result of this unfair treatment he decided to take his family and leave the country in 1979. 1979 Rahbar became a researcher and professor of diabetes in the Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism at the City of Hope in

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* * {{disambigu ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

(in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

). In 2012, the

American Diabetes Association The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a United States-based nonprofit that seeks to educate the public about diabetes and to help those affected by it through funding research to manage, cure and prevent diabetes (including type 1 diabetes, ...

(ADA) bestowed a special, one-time National Scientific Achievement Award on Rahbar in recognition of his discovery of HbA1c as a marker of glycemic status in persons with diabetes. The award is named after the awardee and is called the Samuel Rahbar Outstanding Discovery Award.

References

External links

Biography of Samuel Rahbar in Iran Science Island
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahbar, Samuel 1929 births Iranian biologists Iranian immunologists Iranian Jews University of Tehran alumni Yeshiva University faculty Iranian emigrants to the United States 2012 deaths People from Hamadan