DR. ROBERT J. GORLIN, WORLD-RENOWNED ORAL PATHOLOGIST, DIES AT 83

Abstract

In a career spanning half a century, Dr. Robert J. Gorlin was credited with identifying more than 100 syndromes and pioneering research in a wide range of disciplines, from oral pathology and craniofacial genetics to otolaryngology and obstetrics. Dr. Gorlin died Aug. 29 at the age of 83. “Dr. Gorlin will be remembered not only as the world's foremost authority in orofacial genetics but also for his dedication, formidable intellect, curiosity, compassion and humor,” said Dr. Bob Brandjord, American Dental Association president. “I feel fortunate to have been a student of Dr. Gorlin's, and while in practice I had the opportunity to consult and work with him. “The influence of his ground-breaking work on the practice of dentistry and the public health will be an enduring legacy,” Dr. Brandjord added. For 50 years, Dr. Gorlin was at the forefront of research in oral and maxillofacial pathology, genetic defects and syndromes, craniofacial disorders and hereditary hearing loss. Among the syndromes and diseases he identified were several that bear his name, including Gorlin's cyst (calcifying odontogenic cyst) and Gorlin's syndrome (nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome). Among the more than 600 articles and several textbooks on genetics and oral pathology he authored, Dr. Gorlin's “Syndromes of the Head and Neck,” in its fourth edition, is considered the authoritative work in the field. Dr. Amid Ismail, chair of the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs, said the council will miss Dr. Gorlin's scientific and personal insights during its deliberations. “Dr. Gorlin was a humble and quiet listener and thoughtful analyst,” Dr. Ismail added. “Few have accomplished as much as Dr. Gorlin did in his lifetime,” said Dr. Daniel Meyer, associate executive director, ADA Division of Science. “He greatly helped the profession understand oral pathology and the relationships of oral and general health conditions. All of us have benefited from his commitment to the oral health profession—his publications and accomplishments are a great testimony to his brilliance and dedication. I was proud to know Dr. Gorlin and honored to work with him.” Dr. Gorlin earned his doctor of dental surgery degree from the Washington University School of Dentistry in 1947, followed by a master's degree in oral pathology from the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa), Iowa City, in 1956. That same year, he joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota (UM) School of Dentistry, Minneapolis, as an associate professor and chair of the divisions of oral histology and oral pathology. At the time of his death, he was the UM Regents' Professor Emeritus of Oral Pathology. “Robert Gorlin was the most world-famous faculty member at this dental school, and the most famous oral and maxillofacial pathologist in the world, period,” said Dr. Michael Rohrer, director of the UM School of Dentistry's Division of Oral Pathology and president of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. In addition to his faculty position with the dental school, Dr. Gorlin held joint appointments with UM's departments of laboratory medicine and pathology, obstetrics and gynecology, otolaryngology, pediatrics and dermatology. He also was recognized with honorary doctorates from five other universities across the world. His academic credentials were augmented by leadership roles in organized dentistry as a past president of the International Association for Dental Research and the American Academy of Oral Pathology. Dr. Gorlin's long list of honors included the ADA's Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Dental Research (2003) and the Norton M. Ross Award for Excellence in Clinical Research (1995). He was a Senior Fellow in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and holder of the Premio Phoenix Anni Verdi Award from the Italian Medical Genetics Society and Harvard University's Goldhaber Award. In 2002 he was recognized with UM's highest award, an honorary Doctor of Science Award. Two years later, he received the American Society of Human Genetics Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Education and was an invited presenter at the Nobel Foundation conference in Stockholm, Sweden. After a lifetime of pioneering research, Dr. Gorlin never lost his passion for discovery, as was clear from an interview in the October 2003 issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association. “People have saidto me, ‘We've mapped the human genome, what'sleft to do?'—and I think that's ridiculous,”he said. “Genetic research is like a book with no pictures,no capitalization, no punctuation—and you are expectedto read this book. We haven't even begun to identify allthe genes.” “It's a fascinating field, and I'm delighted tobe one of the people who helped develop even just a tiny partof that field,” he added. “My role is to define disorders. Idon't think my job has been much more than that, but it has been fun.” Dr. Gorlin is survived by his wife, Marilyn, and children Jed and Cathy.