Lester Breslow

Lester Breslow (March 17, 1915, in Bismarck, ND, USA – April 9, 2012, in Los Angeles)[1][2][3][4][5] was an American physician who promoted public health. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota, which is also where he received his MD and MPH.[6] Breslow served in the United States Army during World War II, and when he returned took a position with the California State Department of Public Health.[6]

While in medical school he was studying to be a psychiatrist, and as a junior he worked for a summer in the Fergus Falls Minnesota State Hospital for the Insane.[6] His experience there left him discouraged once he realized that in that time, there was not much they could do for those patients except keep them out of harm's way.[6] When he returned to medical school for his senior year he told a friend on his, also a faculty member, about his feelings and was introduced to a new professor of public health, Gaylord Anderson.[6] Anderson was the one that got Breslow set on a career in epidemiology.[6] Breslow was considered an exemplary doctor as well as a genuinely good person.[7] In an obituary written by one of his former protégées it says, "I was one of Lester's preventative medicine residents 15 years ago…Having had an opportunity to observe him engage with 'paupers' and 'kings,' I can attest to his treatment of all with respect and appreciation for their humanity, abilities, and contributions. I can also attest to his refusal to accept anything less than the best, from others (like me!) and particularly, from himself." [7]

Work

Breslow's work, which lasted for more than half of a century, made a very large impact on the world of public health.[8] He is credited with pioneering chronic disease prevention and health behavior intervention.[7] One of his most famous works is with the Human Population Laboratory, where he looked at the correlation between lifestyle issues like exercise, diet, sleep, smoking, and alcohol with mortality.[7] He believed that health should be regarded as a resource for everyday life, as opposed to just a way to prevent disease.[9][10]

Notable Positions Held

Works

References

  1. ↑ Richmond, C. (2012). "Lester Breslow". The Lancet 380 (9838): 212. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61206-9.
  2. ↑ Martin, Douglas (14 April 2012). "Lester Breslow, Who Tied Good Habits to Longevity, Dies at 97 - NYTimes.com". The New York Times (New York: NYTC). ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  3. ↑ Cloke, Susan (29 April 2012). "Hometown Hero: Dr. Lester Breslow (1915-2012) | Santa Monica Mirror". smmirror.com. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  4. ↑ Maugh II, Thomas H. (12 April 2012). "Dr. Lester Breslow dies at 97; 'Mr. Public Health' - Los Angeles Times". articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  5. ↑ Anderson, Sarah (11 April 2012). "Obituary: Dr. Lester Breslow, 97, former UCLA dean, public health visionary / UCLA Newsroom". newsroom.ucla.edu. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Baquet, Claudia; Lester Breslow (May 2005). "A Conversation with Lester Breslow". Epidemiology 16 (3): 410–413. doi:10.1097/01.ede.0000158800.01170.36.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Yancey, Antronette (August 2012). "Obituary: Lester Breslow". American Journal of Preventive Medicine 43 (2): 230. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2012.05.006.
  8. ↑ Stallworth, JoAna; Jeffery Lennon (November 2003). "An Interview with Dr. Lester Breslow". American Journal of Public Health 93 (11): 1803–1805. doi:10.2105/ajph.93.11.1803.
  9. ↑ Breslow, Lester (1999). "From Disease Prevention to Health Promotion". The Journal of the American Medical Association 281 (11): 1030. doi:10.1001/jama.281.11.1030.
  10. ↑ Fielding, Jonathan; Steven Deutsch; Lester Breslow (2010). "A Framework for Public Health in the United States". Public Health Reviews 32 (1): 174–189.
  11. ↑ Pemberton, John (April 2005). "Commentary: On the article by Lester Breslow on the origins and development of the IEA". International Journal of Epidemiology 34: 729–731. doi:10.1093/ije/dyi076.
  12. ↑ Marquis, Julie (13 October 1997). "Mr. Public Health - Los Angeles Times". articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, March 07, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.