Nicolae Simionescu (27 June 1926 – 6 February 1995) was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n physician. Born in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, he attended Dimitrie Cantemir and then Saint Andrew High School, graduating in 1944. He then enrolled in the medical faculty of the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...

, which he completed in 1950, earning his doctorate in 1966. From 1946 to 1970, he was on the staff of the same institution, rising from junior teaching assistant to teaching assistant to associate professor and department chairman. Meanwhile, he improved his skills as a surgeon until 1957, when he transferred to the Bucharest Endocrinology Institute. Working there until 1970, he conducted experimental and clinical research, functioning as head researcher in the morphology section. Relocating to the United States in 1970, he worked under

George Emil Palade George Emil Palade (; November 19, 1912 – October 7, 2008) was a Romanian-American cell biologist.Archived< ...

, first at

The Rockefeller University The Rockefeller University is a private biomedical research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and provides doctoral and postdoctoral education. It is classifi ...

(1970–73) and then 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 ...

(1973–74). While abroad and following his return, he focused on the cellular and molecular biopathology of the cardiovascular system, with a focus on

endothelin Endothelins are peptides with receptors and effects in many body organs. Endothelin constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure. The endothelins are normally kept in balance by other mechanisms, but when overexpressed, they contribute ...

and

atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis, characterized by development of abnormalities called lesions in walls of arteries. This is a chronic inflammatory disease involving many different cell types and is driven by eleva ...

. In 1979, he founded the Institute of Cellular Biology and Pathology, which bears his name since his death. His output includes over 600 articles, monographs, chapters and lectures delivered at international congresses.Jinga, p.74 Two years after the revolution and fall of the communist regime, he became a titular member of the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its bylaws, the academy's ma ...

in 1991, and died from an unknown cause in 1995.Jinga, p.75 His wife Maya Simionescu was a close scientific collaborator.

Notes

References

* Dr. Victor V. Jinga, , in Ileana Mânduțeanu, Loredan Ștefan Niculescu, Maya Simionescu (eds.), ''Memento Nicolae Simionescu'', p. 73–76. Bucharest, Institutul de Biologie și Patologie Celulară, 2009, * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simionescu, Nicolae 1926 births 1995 deaths Academic staff of the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Romanian pathologists Romanian surgeons University of Bucharest alumni Titular members of the Romanian Academy 20th-century surgeons