Ronald Okun

Last updated
Ronald Okun
Born (1932-08-07) August 7, 1932 (age 90)
California
CitizenshipUS
Education
PartnerKatherine G. Okun
Children3
Scientific career
Institutions

Ronald Okun (born August 7, 1932) is an American physician and pharmacologist. He testified before the United States Congress three times on behalf of tobacco industry in the 1960s and 1970s, attempting to discredit the fact that smoking causes illness. He was also the co-editor of the Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology from 19771989. For at least twenty years, he was the director of clinical pharmacology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Contents

Early life and education

Ronald Okun was born in California on August 7, 1932 [1] to parents Sol and Bertha Okun, Jewish emigrants from Russia. [2] [3] He had an older sister, Anna, and brother, Seymour. [2] He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for his bachelor's degree, graduating in 1954. He then attended the University of California, San Francisco for a master's degree in pharmacology and toxicology and Doctor of Medicine; he received both degrees in 1958. [1]

Career

Following the completion of his MD, Okun completed an internship and residency at a veterans' hospital in Los Angeles. This was followed by a research fellowship at Johns Hopkins University from 19611963. In 1963 he was appointed the director of clinical pharmacology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as well as an assistant professor of medicine and pharmacology at UCLA. [1] From 19641971 he was a research pharmacologist at a veterans' hospital in North Hills, Los Angeles; from 19691971 he was a pharmacological consultant for the California Department of Public Health. In 1970 he began teaching as an associate professor of medicine, medical pharmacology, and therapeutics at the University of California, Irvine. [4]

Okun testified before Congress on behalf of the tobacco industry in 1969, [1] 1972, and 1976 [4] saying, in part, that he could not find "persuasive evidence that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer". [5] From 19731976, Okun was one of four physicians in California responsible for nearly all pharmaceutical testing on prisoners in the state, along with J. Alfred Rider, William L. Epstein, and Howard Maibach. [6]

He remained the head of Cedars-Sinai pharmacology department and a professor at UCLA until at least 1984. [7] Along with Robert George, he was the co-editor of the Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology from 19771989. [8]

Selected publications

Some of Okun's most-cited publications include:

Awards and honors

In 1973, he was the president of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology; [4] he was elected as a fellow to the society in 1976. [9] He was also made a fellow of the American College of Physicians in 1972. [4]

Personal life

He was married to Katherine G. Okun, [1] with whom he had three children. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedars-Sinai Medical Center</span> Hospital in California, United States

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2,000 physicians and 10,000 employees, supported by a team of 2,000 volunteers and more than 40 community groups. As of 2022-23, U.S. News & World Report ranked Cedars-Sinai the best hospital in the western United States. It ranked as the best hospital in California and 2nd best hospital in the entire United States; and was placed nationally in 11 adult medical specialties and rated high performing in 21 adult specialties, procedures and conditions. Cedars-Sinai is a teaching hospital affiliate of David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), which was ranked # 19 on the U.S. News 2023 Best Medical Schools: Research.

Clinical pharmacology has been defined as "that discipline that teaches, does research, frames policy, gives information and advice about the actions and proper uses of medicines in humans and implements that knowledge in clinical practice". Clinical Pharmacology is inherently a translational discipline underpinned by the basic science of pharmacology, engaged in the experimental and observational study of the disposition and effects of drugs in humans, and committed to the translation of science into evidence-based therapeutics. It has a broad scope, from the discovery of new target molecules to the effects of drug usage in whole populations. The main aim of clinical pharmacology is to generate data for optimum use of drugs and the practice of 'evidence based medicine'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicotine poisoning</span> Medical condition

Nicotine poisoning describes the symptoms of the toxic effects of nicotine following ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact. Nicotine poisoning can potentially be deadly, though serious or fatal overdoses are rare. Historically, most cases of nicotine poisoning have been the result of use of nicotine as an insecticide. More recent cases of poisoning typically appear to be in the form of Green Tobacco Sickness, or due to unintended ingestion of tobacco or tobacco products or consumption of nicotine-containing plants.

<i>Goodman & Gilmans The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics</i>

Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, commonly referred to as the Blue Bible or Goodman & Gilman, is a textbook of pharmacology originally authored by Louis S. Goodman and Alfred Gilman. First published in 1941, the book is in its thirteenth edition, and has the reputation of being the "bible of pharmacology". The readership of this book include physicians of all therapeutic and surgical specialties, clinical pharmacologists, clinical research professionals and pharmacists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA</span> Medical school of UCLA

The University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine—known as the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM)—is an accredited medical school located in Los Angeles, California, United States. The school was renamed in 2001 in honor of media mogul David Geffen who donated $200 million in unrestricted funds. Founded in 1951, it is the second medical school in the University of California system, after the UCSF School of Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbor–UCLA Medical Center</span> Hospital in California, United States

Harbor–UCLA Medical Center, is a 570-bed public teaching hospital located at 1000 West Carson Street in West Carson, an unincorporated area within Los Angeles County, California. As implied by the name, the hospital is owned by the Los Angeles County and operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, while doctors are faculty of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, who oversee the medical residents being trained at the facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive View–UCLA Medical Center</span> Hospital in California, United States

Olive View–UCLA Medical Center is a hospital, funded by Los Angeles County, located in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is one of the primary healthcare delivery systems in the north San Fernando Valley, especially the area's large working-class population. Olive View is also the closest county hospital serving the Antelope Valley after High Desert Hospital was converted to an urgent care clinic in 2003.

Alexander Gershman is a Russian American surgeon He is considered to be one of the first surgeons in the world to apply the method of laparoscopic surgery and robotic-assisted surgery to urological surgery and is considered one of the world’s leading experts on minimally invasive surgery. After many years teaching, researching and conducting clinical studies on laparoscopic surgery throughout the world, Gershman is in private practice in Beverly Hills, California. His client list includes numerous Hollywood celebrities and professional athletes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Hodge</span> American toxicologist

Harold Carpenter Hodge (1904–1990) was a well-known toxicologist who published close to 300 papers and five books. He was the first president of the Society of Toxicology in 1960. He received a BS from Illinois Wesleyan University and a PhD in 1930 from the State University of Iowa, publishing his first paper in 1927. He received a number of honors and awards during his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center</span> Hospital in Los Angeles, California

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States. It is currently ranked the 5th best hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, and 2nd best in California and the West Coast. The hospital provides tertiary care to Los Angeles and the surrounding communities.

Michael Stuart Gottlieb is an American physician and immunologist known for his 1981 identification of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) as a new disease, and for his HIV/AIDS research, HIV/AIDS activism, and philanthropic efforts associated with HIV/AIDS treatment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James K. Min</span> American physician

James K. Min is an American physician, a former professor of radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College, and a former director of the Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill-Cornell Medical Center. Prior to this, he held the title of professor of medicine at both Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, and David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California. He is an expert in cardiovascular imaging and has led numerous multi-center international clinical trials. He studied clinical utility and coronary artery diseases for over ten years. During his work at UCLA and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill-Cornell Medical Center, Min published over 250 papers on cardiac CT and coronary artery disease.

Walter Samuel Graf was an American cardiologist. He was a pioneer in establishing paramedic emergency care, "one of a handful of doctors who created the modern paramedic emergency system".

Daniel Jeffrey Wallace is an American rheumatologist, clinical professor, author, and fellow. Wallace has published 500 peer reviewed publications, 9 textbooks, and 28 book chapters on topics such as lupus, Sjögren syndrome, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia. He has the largest cohort of lupus patients in the United States (2000). A full professor of medicine, he is associate director of the Rheumatology Fellowship Program at Cedars-Sinai. His seminal contributions to research include being an author of the first paper to demonstrate vitamin D dysfunction and the importance of interleukin 6 in lupus, conducting the first large studies of apheresis in rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, and insights into the mechanisms of action of antimalarials. Wallace's research accomplishments also include conducting many clinical rheumatic disease trials, examining the role of microvascular angina and accelerated atherogenesis in lupus, and work on anti-telomere antibodies which have garnered him 6 papers in The New England Journal of Medicine. Wallace's monograph, The Lupus Book, has sold over 100,000 copies since 1995.

Henry Wood Elliott II was an American physician, pharmacologist, and anesthesiologist. He was the chairman of the Department of Medical Pharmacology and Therapeutics at University of California, Irvine from 1968–1976 and the editor of the Annual Review of Pharmacology from 1965–1976.

Robert George was an American pharmacologist who specifically researched neuropharmacology and helped create the Brain Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He spent the majority of his career at UCLA (1958–1991) and was the co-editor of the Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology from 1977–1990.

Paul Anthony Insel is an American physician and pharmacologist. He has been the chief editor of four academic journals and is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and American Physiological Society. His research is primarily focused on G proteins.

Beth Young Karlan is an American gynecologic oncologist. In 2008, she was named editor-in-chief of the medical journals Gynecologic Oncology and Gynecologic Oncology Reports. In 2012, Karlan was appointed by the White House to serve on the National Cancer Advisory Board, and in 2015, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Eva King Killam was a research pharmacologist who studied the activity of drugs on the brain and behavior, developing animal models for epilepsy and opiate dependence.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 United States. Congress. House. Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce (1969). Cigarette Labeling and Advertising. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 1115–1120.
  2. 1 2 "Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Roll: m-t0627-00412; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 60-932", United States Federal Census, 1940
  3. "Okun, Sol". The Los Angeles Times. 13 July 1985. p. 34.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. Subcommittee on Health (1976). Cigarette Smoking and Disease. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 152–158.
  5. "LA medic says cigarette curb may spur drinking". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. 1 May 1969. p. 9.
  6. Fremstad, Lee (8 November 1977). "Auditor Warns of Tests on Inmates". The Sacramento Bee. p. 4.
  7. "Hypertension program presented by hospital". The Daily American. Somerset, PA. 16 May 1984. p. 30.
  8. "Preface". Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology. 30. 1990. doi:10.1146/annurev.pa.30.061906.100001.
  9. "Applications Accepted-1976 for Fellowship in the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology". Clinical Toxicology. 9 (5): 835–837. 1976. doi:10.3109/15563657608988187.