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Ralph Dorfman

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Ralph Dorfman
Born
Ralph Isadore Dorfman

(1911-06-30)June 30, 1911
Chicago, Illinois
DiedNovember 19, 1985(1985-11-19) (aged 74)
EducationUniversity of Illinois, University of Chicago
Known forCombined oral contraceptive pill
AwardsNational Academy of Sciences
Scientific career
FieldsBiochemistry, pharmacology
InstitutionsYale University, Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts; Syntex Research, Palo Alto, California; Stanford University

Ralph Isadore Dorfman (1911–1985) was a Jewish-American biochemist. His work on metabolism in pharmacology and the use of steroid hormones contributed to the development of the combined oral contraceptive pill.[1]

Dorfman was born in Chicago, Illinois.[2] He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois and a doctorate from the University of Chicago.[1] After teaching at several institutions, including Yale University, he became a director at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, which, during his 13-year tenure there, "became an international center for bioassays and the study of the chemistry, biochemistry, and biology of steroid hormones."[2]

While working at the Worcester Foundation, Dorfman was a research consultant to the Syntex Corporation, starting in 1950. There he helped to develop the first publicly available birth control pill.[2] In 1964, Dorfman joined Syntex full-time, eventually serving as president of Syntex Research in Palo Alto, California from 1973 to 1976.[1] Dorfman's research also focused on treatments for cancer and rheumatoid arthritis and originated the reproductive biology concept of anti-estrogens and anti-androgens.[2]

Late in his career, Dorfman returned to academia serving as a visiting professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology at Stanford University, 1967–1973, and finally as a consulting professor until his death. In addition to his numerous papers, Dorfman was the author or editor of 14 books and founded the journal Steroids.[3]

Dorfman died of complications of Parkinson's disease at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California, at the age of 74.[1] His brother was Albert Dorfman,[2] and his grandson is Barnaby Dorfman.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Dr. Ralph I. Dorfman", The New York Times, December 12, 1985, accessed February 5, 2019
  2. ^ a b c d e Simoni, Robert D., Robert L. Hill, Martha Vaughan and Herbert Tabor. "The Metabolism of Steroid Hormones: Ralph I. Dorfman", Journal of Biological Chemistry, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, December 12, 2003
  3. ^ "Ralph I. Dorfman Lectureship", Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, accessed February 5, 2018