David Lawrence Rimoin (November 9, 1936 – May 27, 2012) was a Canadian American

geneticist A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic process ...

. He was especially noted for his research into the

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...

skeletal dysplasia An osteochondrodysplasia,Etymology: . or skeletal dysplasia, is a disorder of the development of bone and cartilage. Osteochondrodysplasias are rare diseases. About 1 in 5,000 babies are born with some type of skeletal dysplasia. Nonetheless, if t ...

(

dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition of people and animals marked by unusually small size or short stature. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dwarfism is . '' ...

), inheritable diseases such as

Tay–Sachs disease Tay–Sachs disease is an Genetic disorder, inherited fatal lysosomal storage disease that results in the destruction of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The most common form is infantile Tay–Sachs disease, which becomes apparent arou ...

, and

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

.Thomas H. Maugh, II
"Dr. David L. Rimoin dies at 75; Cedars-Sinai geneticist"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', May 30, 2012.

Biography

Rimoin was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, the son of Fay (Lecker) and Michael Rimoin. Rimoin attended college and medical school at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, where he received his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in 1957, followed by a

medical degree A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...

and a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

in genetics in 1961. He followed with internships and residencies at Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal and at

Johns Hopkins Hospital Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1889, Johns Hopkins Hospital and its school of medicine are considered to be the foundin ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, where he studied under genetics pioneer Victor A. McKusickBetty M. Adelson, ''Dwarfism: Medical And Psychosocial Aspects Of Profound Short Stature'' (

JHU Press Johns Hopkins University Press (also referred to as JHU Press or JHUP) is the publishing division of Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and is the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The press publish ...

, 2005), , pp. 51-52
Excerpts available
at

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. and received a Ph.D. in

medical genetics Medical genetics is the branch of medicine that involves the diagnosis and management of hereditary disorders. Medical genetics differs from human genetics in that human genetics is a field of scientific research that may or may not apply to me ...

. He spent three years at the

Washington University School of Medicine Washington University School of Medicine (WashU Medicine) is the medical school of Washington University in St. Louis, located in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1891, the School of Medicine shares a ca ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

where his first daughter Anne Walsh Rimoin was born. His 1970 study of

diabetes mellitus Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained hyperglycemia, high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or th ...

challenged the then-prevailing consensus that diabetes was a single disorder, and showed instead that it could have multiple genetic causes. In 1970 Rimoin moved to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where he became chief of the division of medical genetics. He moved to

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, Tertiary referral hospital, tertiary, 915-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre, academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars ...

in 1986. He founded the International Skeletal Dysplasia Registry. Together with Michael Kaback, he organized a California Tay-Sachs screening program that became a national model. Rimoin and English geneticist Alan E. H. Emery co-edited ''Principles and Practice of Medical Genetics'', first published in 1983 and now considered an essential textbook on the subject. At Cedars-Sinai he was chair of the

pediatrics Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many o ...

practice, established an adult genetics program, and began a screening program focused on genetic diseases within Los Angeles' large population of

Persian Jews Iranian Jews, (; ) also Persian Jews ( ) or Parsim, constitute one of the oldest communities of the Jewish diaspora. Dating back to the History of ancient Israel and Judah, biblical era, they originate from the Jews who relocated to Iran (his ...

. David Rimoin was mentioned in Frederick Drimmer's book "Very Special People". It stated that he had found that growth hormone could help pituitary dwarfs achieve close to normal height. Obtained from the pituitaries of human cadavers, it had not been available in sufficient supply. In 1997–98, Rimoin was the first president of the

American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) is an organization composed of biochemical, clinical, cytogenetic, medical and molecular geneticists, genetic counselors and other health care professionals committed to the practice ...

After his death, the ACMG established two awards in his honor, the David L. Rimoin Lifetime Achievement Award in Medical Genetics and the David L. Rimoin Inspiring Excellence Award."Marcus Miller, Ph.D., Receives ACMG Foundation/David L. Rimoin Inspiring Excellence Award"
'' News Rx Health and Science'', April 19, 2015, via

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. Rimoin died in Los Angeles on May 27, 2012, days after having been diagnosed with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

. He is survived by his second wife, Ann Garber Rimoin, his two daughters Anne Rimoin and Lauren Rimoin and his son Michael Rimoin.

References

External links

Interview with David L. Rimoin

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

Oral History of Human Genetics Project (accessed 2012-06-01). {{DEFAULTSORT:Rimoin, David 1936 births 2012 deaths American geneticists Canadian geneticists Medical geneticists Physicians from Montreal McGill University Faculty of Medicine alumni Johns Hopkins School of Medicine alumni Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California Physicians of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 20th-century Canadian biologists 20th-century American biologists 20th-century Canadian physicians 20th-century American physicians Canadian emigrants to the United States Members of the National Academy of Medicine Washington University School of Medicine faculty