David Rosner is the Ronald H. Lauterstein Professor of Sociomedical Sciences and professor of history in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...
. He is also Co-Director of the Center for the History and Ethics of Public Health at
Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health. He was elected to the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, 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 Nat ...
' Institute of Medicine in 2010.
Influential work
Rosner's work has been influential in a number of international legislative and legal decisions regarding industrial safety and health, health policy and race relations. The 2005 edition of his book, ''Deadly Dust'', co-authored with
Gerald Markowitz, was one of the major stimuli of a five-year, international study of mining and health standards through collaboration with the
Agence National Francais, the French equivalent of the
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
.
This collaboration brings together experts from countries around the world to discuss the variety of historical factors that have shaped international policies regarding
silicosis
Silicosis is a form of occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust. It is marked by inflammation and scarring in the form of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs. It is a type of pneumoconiosis. Silicosi ...
, a deadly lung disease affecting workers in a host of industries. In its earlier 1991 edition, this book led to the bringing together of over 600 public health, industry and governmental experts from the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, ) is the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the ...
, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration'' (OSHA ) is a large regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. Congress established the agenc ...
, the
Mining Safety and Health Administration and elsewhere in a National Conference on Silicosis in
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
. This conference led the
Robert Reich
Robert Bernard Reich (; born June 24, 1946) is an American professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator. He worked in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, and served as Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997 i ...
, the US Secretary of Labor, to identify silicosis as a disease that should be eliminated in the coming years and the banning of certain dangerous practices in a variety of industries.
In addition, he has been a consultant and expert witness in
lead poisoning
Lead poisoning, also known as plumbism and saturnism, is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead in the body. The brain is the most sensitive. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, memory problems, inferti ...
cases, on behalf of the
State of Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but i ...
in its landmark suit against the lead pigment industry and individual plaintiffs injured by lead from paint on the walls of the nation's housing. Later again he also appeared in the
California lead paint trial.
With Gerald Markowitz, Distinguished Professor of History at the
City University of New York
The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the public university system of New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven senior colleges, seven community colleges and seven pr ...
, and support from the National Science Foundation, he authored the book: ''Lead Wars: The Politics of Science and the Fate of America's Children'', (Berkeley: University of California Press/Milbank Fund, 2013) which includes tracing the implications of lowered blood lead levels on public health research and practice.
Toxic Docs
Toxic Docs
David Rosner is the Ronald H. Lauterstein Professor of Sociomedical Sciences and professor of history in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University. He is also Co-Director of the Center for the History and Ethics of Public H ...
which reveals documents which support the story of the ongoing effort of the
Lead Industries Association
The Lead Industries Association (LIA) was a trade organization that in 1925 made it possible for Tetraethyllead to be an additive of commercial gasoline and later incorporated in 1928 to promote the interests of the lead industry. The National Lead ...
, the
Tobacco industry
The tobacco industry comprises those persons and companies who are engaged in the growth, preparation for sale, shipment, advertisement, and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products. It is a global industry; tobacco can grow in any ...
and other propaganda organizations of industry to discredit public health concerns so they can continue to pollute and profit from dangerous products was also produced with Markowitz and also
Merlin Chowkwanyun. Toxic Docs originated when Merlin Chowkwanyun assisted Rosner with creating a response to a criticism of two chapters in book ''Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution'' by publishing the chapters online along with the original source documents as citations and later expanded that technique into Toxic Docs.
Published works
Rosner is the author and editor of ten books; including ''A Once Charitable Enterprise'' (
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer.
Cambr ...
, 1982, 2004;
Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press is an independent Academic publishing, publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large.
The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, ...
, 1987), ''Hives of Sickness:' Epidemics and Public Health in New York City'' (
Rutgers University Press
Rutgers University Press (RUP) is a nonprofit academic publishing house, operating in New Brunswick, New Jersey under the auspices of Rutgers University.
History
Rutgers University Press, a nonprofit academic publishing house operating in New ...
, 1995), and ''Health Care in America: Essays in Social History'' (with
Susan Mokotoff Reverby).
In addition, he has co-authored and edited with Gerald Markowitz numerous books and articles, including ''Deadly Dust: Silicosis and the Politics of Occupational Disease in Twentieth Century America'', (Princeton University Press, 1991;1994; University of Michigan, 2005), ''Children, Race, and Power: Kenneth and Mamie Clarks’ Northside Center'', (
University Press of Virginia
The University of Virginia Press (or UVaP) is a university press that is part of the University of Virginia. It was established in 1963 as the University Press of Virginia, under the initiative of the university's then President, Edgar F. Shan ...
, 1996; Routledge Press, 2001); ''Dying for Work'', (
Indiana University Press
Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...
, 1987) and ''“Slaves of the Depression,” Workers’ Letters About Life on the Job'', (
Cornell University Press
The Cornell University Press is the university press of Cornell University; currently housed in Sage House, the former residence of Henry William Sage. It was first established in 1869, making it the first university publishing enterprise in ...
, 1987). Along with
James Colgrove and Gerald Markowitz he co-edited ''The Contested Boundaries of Public Health'' which appeared from Rutgers University Press in 2008. He and Gerald Markowitz have authored ''
Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution'' (
University of California Press
The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by facult ...
/
Milbank Fund, 2002) and ''Are We Ready? Public Health Since 9/11'' (University of California Press/ Milbank, 2006). His book ''
Lead Wars: The Politics of Science and the Fate of America's Children'' appeared in 2013 from the University of California Press/Milbank Fund.
Rosner serves on the editorial board of the ''
Journal of Public Health Policy'', the ''
Journal of Scientific Practice and Integrity'', and ''
Environmental Justice
Environmental justice is a social movement to address the unfair exposure of poor and marginalized communities to harms from hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses.Schlosberg, David. (2007) ''Defining Environmental Justice ...
''.
He has also been an advisory editor for the
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants Undergraduate education, undergraduate and graduate degrees, including Doctorate, do ...
's Press Series focusing on the study of medical history.
Personal life
Dr. David Rosner received his
BA from
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
in 1968, an MPH from the
University of Massachusetts
The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medi ...
in 1972, and a PhD from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in 1978.
The father of Zachary and Molly, he lives with his wife Dr. Kathlyn Conway, a
psychotherapist
Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome prob ...
and author, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
.
He is a member of the International Silicosis Project, a project organized through the French government and
Sciences Po
, motto_lang = fr
, mottoeng = Roots of the Future
, type = Public research university''Grande école''
, established =
, founder = Émile Boutmy
, accreditation ...
on the international comparison of an occupational disease,
silicosis
Silicosis is a form of occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust. It is marked by inflammation and scarring in the form of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs. It is a type of pneumoconiosis. Silicosi ...
. In 2008, he was a fellow at the
Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales
The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (french: École des hautes études en sciences sociales; EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The ...
. In the past, he has participated in an
IREX program on Eastern Europe.
Honors
In addition to numerous grants, he has been a Guggenheim Fellow, a recipient of a Robert Wood Johnson Investigator Award, a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow and a Josiah Macy Fellow. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2010. He has been awarded the Distinguished Scholar's Prize from the City University, the Viseltear Prize for Outstanding Work in the History of Public Health from the APHA and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Massachusetts. He has also been honored at the Awards Dinner of the New York Committee on Occupational Safety and Health and he and Gerald Markowitz have been awarded the
Upton Sinclair
Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American writer, muckraker, political activist and the 1934 Democratic Party nominee for governor of California who wrote nearly 100 books and other works in sever ...
Memorial Lectureship “For Outstanding Occupational Health, Safety, and Environmental Journalism by the American Industrial Hygiene Association.”
References
External links
List of published booksBioResearch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosner, David
21st-century American historians
21st-century American male writers
City College of New York alumni
Columbia University faculty
Harvard University alumni
Living people
University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences alumni
1947 births
American male non-fiction writers
Members of the National Academy of Medicine