Manuel Rodríguez Gómez

Manuel Rodríguez Gómez (1928-07-04 – 2006-01-21) was an American neurologist most noted for his work on tuberous sclerosis, a rare genetic disorder.

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Life

Manuel Gómez was born in the Spanish city of Minaya in La Mancha. When he was 12 years old, his family moved to Cuba. He received his doctorate in medicine at the Universidad de la Habana in 1952. On his graduation day, he got carried away by the celebration and shouted a protest against the dictator Batista. After spending a few hours under arrest, he left Cuba at night with his mother and siblings. They arrived in the United States without any possessions. He did not see his father again for 32 years.

He married Joan A. Stormer in 1954. His four sons have pursued academic and medical careers; one is a neurologist and another a developmental neurobiologist. Serious coronary problems in 1983 led to a heart bypass operation. He died after a long illness with Parkinson's disease.

Career

• 1952: Doctorate in medicine from the Universidad de la Habana, Cuba.
• 1952–­1953: Internship at Michael Reese Hospital, Chicago.
• 1953–­1954: Residency in pediatrics at the University of Michigan.
• 1954–1956: Residency in neurology at the University of Michigan, where he received an MS degree in neuroanatomy.
• 1956–­1957: Fellow in pediatric neurology at University of Chicago.
• 1957–­1958: Faculty of neurology at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
• 1958–­1959: Studied at the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London.
• 1960–­1964: Associate professor of neurology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit. Certified in neurology by the ABPN.
• 1964–1984: Head of the department of Pediatric Neurology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester. He became Professor of Pediatric Neurology in 1974 and Professor Emeritus in 1994.
• 2000: Retired.

Organisations

Manuel Gómez was a charter member of the American Child Neurology Society, the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA) and the Latin American Academy of Pediatric Neurology. He was honorary member of a number of pediatric and neurology societies, including the Sociedad Española de Neurología (SEN) and Sociedad Española de Neurología Pediátrica (SENP).

Awards

• The Santiago Ramón y Cajal Award from The Iberoamerican Academy of Pediatric Neurology in 1995.
• The Hower Award from the Child Neurology Society.
• The Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance established in 1995 the Manuel R. Gomez Professional Recognition Award in his honor. This award is for "creative or pioneering efforts that have appreciably improved either the understanding of the disease or the clinical care available for individuals with tuberous sclerosis."

Tuberous sclerosis

Manuel Gómez was most interested in neurocutaneous syndromes, and especially tuberous sclerosis. In 1967 he broke the established wisdom that tuberous sclerosis was defined by Vogt's triad of mental retardation, epilepsy and adenoma sebaceum (a papular facial rash). He co-published a paper showing that about a third of patients had normal intelligence. In 1979, he edited the monograph Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, the first and, for over twenty years, the only textbook on the disease. In it, he established a comprehensive diagnostic criteria for tuberous sclerosis. This book has been translated into Spanish and has been revised twice: in 1988 and 1999.

Publications

• Manuel R. Gómez (ed) (1987). Neurocutaneous diseases. London: Butterworths. ISBN 0-409-90018-4. 
• Manuel Rodríguez Gómez (ed); Julian R. Sampson, Vicky Holets Whittemore (ass. eds) (1999). Tuberous sclerosis complex 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-512210-0. 
• Manuel Gómez is the author of more than 170 scientific papers including 93 peer-reviewed articles.

See also

• Timeline of tuberous sclerosis

References

• Mellinger J, Patterson M (2006). "In memoriam: Manuel Rodriguez Gomez, MD July 4, 1928 - January 21, 2006". Pediatr Neurol 35 (1): 47-8. PMID 16814085.
• Sancak, Özgür (2005). Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: Mutations, Functions and Phenotypes. Stichting Tubereuze Sclerose Nederland, 12. ISBN 9090201939. 
• I. Pascual-Castroviejo (2006). "Manuel Rodríguez Gómez (1928-2006)" (in Spanish). Neurología 21 (3): 166-7.
• Shaw, Gina (2004). "The Life of The Mind: The Gomez Family". Neurology Today 5 (10): 28.
• The TSC Community Loses a Hero. Perspective 9. Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance (Spring 2006). Retrieved on 2007-01-30.