Isabelle Rapin

Isabelle Rapin, M.D., is a professor emerita in both the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology and the Department of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.[1][2] She retired in 2012, at the age of 84.[2] The New York Times said: "Considered by many the doyenne of autism, Dr. Rapin has spent decades studying the disability."[3] The Boston Globe described her as a "leading authority on autism".[4] She is a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN).[5]

Personal life and education

Rapin was born in Lausanne, Switzerland; her mother was from Connecticut, and her father was Swiss.[6] As a child, she was an avid reader, and a Girl Scout who attended all-girls' schools between the ages of 9 and 19.[6] Surrounded by a family of scientists, before she was ten years old, she had decided to become a physician.[6]

She started the University of Lausanne Medical School[2] in 1946, in a class of around 100 students that included about a dozen women.[6] She decided to become a pediatric neurologist in 1951 after she spent twelve weeks at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital and at the Hôpital des Enfants Malades in Paris.[6] When she graduated from Lausanne Medical School in 1952, there were few paying jobs in Switzerland, so she applied to the United States to Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins and Bellevue Hospital; she received a reply only from Bellevue, and was offered a position in pediatrics, to begin in July 1953.[6] In 1952, she received a Swiss Federal Diploma in Medicine; she received her MD in 1955, when her thesis was published in the Swiss Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry.[6]

She met her husband, Harold Oaklander, in August 1958, and they were married in the spring of 1959.[6] Of her husband, she said: "Without his unselfish and sustained encouragement and help, his willingness to share in all household and child-rearing jobs (except for car maintenance, his, and sewing, mine), I could never have flourished in child neurology as I did."[6] Her husband finished his PhD at Columbia University, but knew she would not leave the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, so he accepted a "less prestigious" job nearby.[6] They had four children: two daughters and two sons.[6]

Career

Rapin interned in pediatrics at New York City's Bellevue Hospital and did her residency in neurology at the Neurological Institute at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, where she also completed a year of fellowship.[2] She joined the Albert Einstein College of Medicine faculty in 1958 and retired at the age of 84 in 2012.[2] Of the developments in the field of autism during those years, Rapin said, "Especially in the days before autism was all over the Internet and print media, parents who came for advice were most likely to report problems with language ... These days, Internet-savvy parents worry about autism but do not always tell me their concerns when they visit my office, because they want to hear my independent diagnosis."[7]

Rapin said, "My interest in language disorders and autism was enhanced by the arrival at Einstein of Dr Doris A. Allen, whose background was developmental psycholinguistics, psychology, and speech pathology ... After evaluating hundreds of autistic children, I became convinced that the report by one third of parents of autistic preschoolers of a very early language and behavioral regression is real and deserving of biologic investigation."[6]

Appointments

Rapin helped found the Child Neurology Society and the International Child Neurology Association.[2] At Einstein, she founded the Child Neurology Service and Fellowship Training Program.[2]

She served on the boards of the Child Neurology Society, the International Child Neurology Association, the American Academy of Neurology and the International Neuropsychology Society.[8][6]

Recognition and other achievements

The Boston Globe said in 1992 that Rapin was "a specialist in neurological diseases of children [who] discovered several such diseases and also is a leading authority on autism".[4] The New York Times said: "Considered by many the doyenne of autism, Dr. Rapin has spent decades studying the disability."[3]

Albert Einstein College of Medicine said that Rapin is "a leader in the field of child neurology ... credited with a number of discoveries in the field of neurogenetic disorders in childhood, including shaping our understanding of autism ... In addition to her renown as a 'mother of autism,' she has been called 'a luminary in her field' and 'always the guiding light'."[2] To honor Rapin, in 2012, Einstein established an annual conference on communication disorders.[2] According to colleague Mark Mehler, M.D., "She is the world's expert in the field of pediatric communication disorders, and during her career she defined as well as refined our understanding of an entire field."[2] In 2006, Einstein held an international symposium on autism honoring Rapin.[2][8]

Rapin's awards and recognition include:

In an autobiography published in the Journal of Child Neurology, Rapin said:

"The message I would give a young colleague is that child neurology is a wonderfully rewarding field, intellectually and personally, because of the families you will meet. In order to have it all, that is, be married, have children, restore and furnish an antique house, work in the garden, enjoy a lot of what life offers, and have a great job, you need a supportive and generous mate, adequate baby sitting and house help, flexibility, good humor, and a nose for the unusual. Consider every patient a potential source of new knowledge, describe what you see, pursue your interests vigorously, and learn to cut corners and prioritize. Find a good mentor, enjoy what you do, and be lucky."[6]

Publications

As of 2006, Rapin had published more than 135 papers and 75 book chapters;[8] some of her books are:

References

  1. ↑ "Isabelle Rapin, M.D.". Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 "Dr. Isabelle Rapin: a living legend". Albert Einstein College of Medicine. December 26, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kenny A (December 8, 2002). "When autism strikes". New York Times. p. WC1.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Two are honored for aid to retarded". Boston Globe. June 9, 1992. p. 95.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "AAN announces 2010 award winners in neurologic research" (Press release). American Academy of Neurology. 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 Rapin I (May 2001). "Isabelle Rapin: an autobiography". J. Child Neurol. 16 (5): 352–6. doi:10.2310/7010.2001.17156. PMID 11392520.
  7. ↑ Rapin, Isabelle (May 24, 2011). "Isabelle Rapin: lessons from my clinic". SFARI: Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Putting perspective on autism: a symposium in honor of Dr. Isabelle Rapin and her numerous contributions to the field" (Press release). Medical News Today. December 13, 2006. Retrieved December 29, 2013.

Further reading