I. Bernard Weinstein (September 9, 1930 – November 3, 2008) was an American

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and researcher who studied the effect of pollutants and other environmental factors in causing cancer and headed the Comprehensive Cancer Center at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. He has been credited with helping create the field of

molecular epidemiology Molecular epidemiology is a branch of epidemiology and medical science that focuses on the contribution of potential genetic and environmental risk factors, identified at the molecular level, to the etiology, distribution and prevention of disease w ...

, which studies how genetic and environmental risk factors are related to the spread of disease in populations.

Biography

Weinstein was born in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

as the youngest of four sons of Russian immigrants. He earned an undergraduate degree from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

. He also earned his medical degree there and conducted research at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. He was hired by

as an assistant professor of medicine in 1961 and appointed as a professor in 1973. From 1978 to 1990, he was director of the division of environmental sciences at

Columbia Mailman School of Public Health The Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health (formally the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health) is the public health graduate school of Columbia University. Located on the Columbia University Irving Medical Center campus in the ...

. He held appointments on the Columbia faculty as professor of genetics and development and public health at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center of Columbia University and as the school's Frobe Jensen Professor of Medicine.I. Bernard Weinstein. M.D.

National Foundation for Cancer Research National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1973. It provides funds to cancer scientists and researchers, with the ultimate goal of a cure for cancer. Awards The Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progr ...

. Accessed November 17, 2008. Starting in the 1970s, Weinstein was among the first groups of researchers to make the connection between chemical compounds that are commonly found in the environment and their cancer-causing potential by identifying carcinogens that would be able to find molecular targets in the body. Weinstein investigated the cancer risks caused by benzo yrene, which is found in automobile exhaust, barbecued food and tobacco smoke. He also studied

nitrosamine Nitrosamines (or more formally ''N''-nitrosamines) are organic compounds produced by industrial processes. The chemical structure is , where R is usually an alkyl group. Nitrosamines have a nitroso group () that are "probable human carcinogens", ...

s, a cancer-causing compound found in cured and

smoked meat Smoked meat is the result of a method of preparing red meat, white meat, and seafood which originated in the Paleolithic, Paleolithic Era. Smoking adds Flavor (taste), flavor, improves the appearance of meat through the Maillard reaction, and ...

s and in

pickled Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling procedure typically affects the food's texture and flavor. The resulting food is called ...

foods, generated when

nitrite The nitrite polyatomic ion, ion has the chemical formula . Nitrite (mostly sodium nitrite) is widely used throughout chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The nitrite anion is a pervasive intermediate in the nitrogen cycle in nature. The name ...

s in the food react with strong acids or high temperatures. Neuroscientist

Richard Axel Richard Axel (born July 2, 1946) is an American molecular biologist and university professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His work on the olfactory system won h ...

, a student of Weinstein's who shared the 2004

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine () is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, acco ...

, described how his mentor's "knowledge of emerging molecular genetics was combined with his research on the chemical causes of cancer to help in the creation of a new field, the field of molecular epidemiology". Studies performed by Weinstein in the 1990s of the human gene

cyclin D1 Cyclin D1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''CCND1'' gene. Gene expression The CCND1 gene encodes the cyclin D1 protein. The human CCND1 gene is located on the long arm of chromosome 11 (band 11q13). It is 13,388 base pairs lo ...

showed that variations of the gene could foster the growth of cancer cells and tumor formation in the breast, esophagus, prostate and stomach, which led to theories that drugs targeted at cyclin D1 could help prevent the development of these cancers.I Bernard Weinstein

Columbia University Medical Center Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) is the academic medical center of Columbia University and the largest campus of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The center's academic wing consists of Columbia's colleges and schools of Physicia ...

. Accessed November 17, 2008. Weinstein died at age 78 on November 3, 2008 in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an Inflammation, inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Infla ...

, and was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wisconsin.Pearce, Jeremy
"I. Bernard Weinstein, Who Studied Causes of Cancer, Dies at 78"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', November 15, 2008. Accessed November 16, 2008. He is survived by his spouse, the former Joan Anker, a son, the

contemporary artist Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art i ...

Matthew Weinstein, and two daughters, Claudia, of Manhattan, and Tamara, of

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weinstein, I. Bernard 20th-century American Jews Columbia University faculty Deaths from kidney disease People from Madison, Wisconsin Physicians from Manhattan Harvard Medical School alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni American public health doctors 1930 births 2008 deaths 21st-century American Jews Members of the National Academy of Medicine Burials at Forest Hill Cemetery (Madison, Wisconsin)