| Dr. Manuel Martínez Maldonado | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1937 Yauco, Puerto Rico |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Occupation | Nephrologist, educator, poet and author |
| Spouse | Nivia |
| Children | Manny Jr., David, Rickey and Pedro |
| Notes
Dr. Martínez Maldonado also published four books of poetry and one novel
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Dr. Manuel Martínez Maldonado[note 1] (born: 1937), MD; MACP, is a Nephrologist, educator, poet and author. He discovered a natriuretic hormone and has authored numerous scientific publications. His research interests are the regulation of blood pressure and the effect of high blood pressure on the kidneys. He also focuses on the renin angiotensin system, a hormone system that helps regulate long-term blood pressure and blood volume in the body and which is controlled primarily by the kidneys. He is the executive vice president for research at the University of Louisville.[1]
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Martínez Maldonado, born in the southern town of Yauco, Puerto Rico, was an only child. There he received his primary and secondary education. After graduating from high school, he applied and was accepted at the University of Puerto Rico where he was to major in literature. In his sophomore year, Martínez Maldonado decided that he would like to study medicine instead of literature. He was accepted at Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM), in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he earned his Medical Degree. He completed his postdoctoral study on renal and electrolyte metabolism at the University of Texas.[2]
Martínez Maldonado became interested in the field of nephrology and applied for entrance in many of the institutions dedicated to that field in the United States. He was accepted by the Dallas Nephrology Division, where he would carry out many of his experiments.[3] Nephrology is a branch of internal medicine and pediatrics dealing with the study of the function and diseases of the kidney.[4]
Martínez Maldonado invented a machine which could measure the osmolality of samples of proximal tubar fluids.[3] With his invention a sample of urine is placed next to liquid nitrogen so that the sample will freeze. The sample then takes the form of a crystal. The decreasing temperature of the crystal is converted into osmolality. He discovered a natriuretic hormone which may be the cause of many deseases. His team of scientists worked on various investigations involving the "new" hormone. Among the investigations made was one which covered the interrelationship between the hormone and cigar smoke on the proximal tubular function.[3]
In 1968, Martínez Maldonado joined the Nephrology Department at Baylor University as an assistant professor. He later became a full professor and during his time at Baylor College of Medicine he published 39 original investigations in various journals such as the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the New England Journal of Medicine and the American Journal of Physiology.[3]
Martínez Maldonado, who is married with four children, published four books of poetry and one novel.[3][5]
Poetry
Novel
Martínez Maldonado was elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigations. He was a member of the Association of American Physicians and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He was also the president of the American Board of Internal Medicine.[3]
In 1973, he returned to Puerto Rico as Professor of Medicine at the University of Puerto Rico and Chief of Medical Services at the San Juan Veterans Hospital. In 1991, he was awarded the Founder's Medal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigations.[3] In 2000, Martínez Maldonado was named president and dean of the Ponce School of Medicine and, in 2006, he was selected as the executive vice president for research at the University of Louisville.[6]