A. Bernard Ackerman
Encyclopedia
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Albert Bernard Ackerman (November 22, 1936 – December 5, 2008) was an American
physician
described by The New York Times
as "a founding figure in the field of dermatopathology
".
Ackerman was born on November 22, 1936, as one of two sons of a prominent orthodontist in Elizabeth, New Jersey
. He attended Phillips Academy
, located in Andover, Massachusetts
. After earning an undergraduate degree in philosophy and theology from Princeton University
, he received his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
. He had his residency
training in dermatology
at Columbia University
, the University of Pennsylvania
and Harvard University
, where he served his third year of residency in dermatology and a fellowship in dermatopathology at Massachusetts General Hospital
. Ackerman interrupted his house-officership to serve two years in the military at Andrews Air Force Base
.
Dr. Ackerman joined the faculties of the University of Miami
in 1969 and New York University School of Medicine
in 1973. He was a member of the Department of Dermatology at New York University Medical center from 1973 to 1992. During this time, in 1979, he founded the International Society of Dermatopathology. He also founded two journals during this time, The American Journal of Dermatopathology, and Dermatopathology: Practical and Conceptual.
Starting in 1992, he became a member of the faculty of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He established the Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology in New York City in 1999 to provide training in the diagnosis of skin diseases. Now the largest of its kind in the world, it is owned by Quest Diagnostics.
In 2004, Ackerman endowed the A. Bernard Ackerman Endowment for the Culture of Medicine at Harvard University
to encourage collaboration among the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Harvard Medical School
to help foster the interdisciplinary aspects of the relationship between physicians and their patients.
Ackerman was a longtime critic of the argument that sun exposure should be avoided, stating that the risk of wrinkles or squamous cell carcinoma
from exposure to the sun needs to be balanced against the advantages from exposure to ultraviolet
radiation, a position he advocated in his book The Sun and the "Epidemic" of Melanoma: Myth on Myth!. The New York Times
reported on Ackerman's return from a trip to Israel
from which he returned deeply tanned having not used any sunscreen. Ackerman insisted that the causal connection between melanoma and sun exposure was not proven and that the sun should be avoided to prevent skin aging, but that it would be a mistake to assume that avoiding sunlight or using sunscreens would protect an individual from melanoma.
The American Academy of Dermatology
recognized Ackerman in 2004 with its Master Dermatologist Award which recognizes "an Academy member who throughout the span of his or her career has made significant contributions to the specialty of dermatology" and to the leadership and education programs of the Academy.
He wrote some 700 papers and 60 books and provided expert testimony at 200 trials. One of his final papers, published in the Archives of Dermatology
in 2008, was titled "An Inquiry Into the Nature of the Pigmented Lesion Above Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Left Eyebrow", in which Ackerman argued that the failure of Roosevelt's physicians to consider the possibility of melanoma shows the flaws in medical wisdom at the time for diagnosing such lesions.
Ackerman died at age 72 on December 5, 2008 of an acute cardiovascular event at his home in Manhattan
.
Albert Bernard Ackerman (November 22, 1936 – December 5, 2008) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
described by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as "a founding figure in the field of dermatopathology
Dermatopathology
Dermatopathology is a subspecialty of both dermatology and surgical pathology that focuses on the study of cutaneous diseases at a microscopic level. It also encompasses analyses of the potential causes of skin diseases at a cellular level. Dermatopathologists work in close association with...
".
Ackerman was born on November 22, 1936, as one of two sons of a prominent orthodontist in Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
. He attended Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
, located in Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
. After earning an undergraduate degree in philosophy and theology from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, he received his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, often known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located on the health sciences campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan...
. He had his residency
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
training in dermatology
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he served his third year of residency in dermatology and a fellowship in dermatopathology at Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
. Ackerman interrupted his house-officership to serve two years in the military at Andrews Air Force Base
Andrews Air Force Base
Joint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....
.
Dr. Ackerman joined the faculties of the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
in 1969 and New York University School of Medicine
New York University School of Medicine
The New York University School of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of New York University. Founded in 1841 as the University Medical College, the NYU School of Medicine is one of the foremost medical schools in the United States....
in 1973. He was a member of the Department of Dermatology at New York University Medical center from 1973 to 1992. During this time, in 1979, he founded the International Society of Dermatopathology. He also founded two journals during this time, The American Journal of Dermatopathology, and Dermatopathology: Practical and Conceptual.
Starting in 1992, he became a member of the faculty of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He established the Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology in New York City in 1999 to provide training in the diagnosis of skin diseases. Now the largest of its kind in the world, it is owned by Quest Diagnostics.
In 2004, Ackerman endowed the A. Bernard Ackerman Endowment for the Culture of Medicine at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
to encourage collaboration among the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
to help foster the interdisciplinary aspects of the relationship between physicians and their patients.
Ackerman was a longtime critic of the argument that sun exposure should be avoided, stating that the risk of wrinkles or squamous cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma , occasionally rendered as "squamous-cell carcinoma", is a histologically distinct form of cancer. It arises from the uncontrolled multiplication of malignant cells deriving from epithelium, or showing particular cytological or tissue architectural characteristics of...
from exposure to the sun needs to be balanced against the advantages from exposure to ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
radiation, a position he advocated in his book The Sun and the "Epidemic" of Melanoma: Myth on Myth!. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported on Ackerman's return from a trip to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
from which he returned deeply tanned having not used any sunscreen. Ackerman insisted that the causal connection between melanoma and sun exposure was not proven and that the sun should be avoided to prevent skin aging, but that it would be a mistake to assume that avoiding sunlight or using sunscreens would protect an individual from melanoma.
The American Academy of Dermatology
American Academy of Dermatology
The American Academy of Dermatology is the largest organization of dermatologists in the world. It was founded in 1938 and represents 17,000 dermatologists in the United States, Canada, and around the world. The Academy grants Fellowships and Associate Memberships, as well as Fellowships for...
recognized Ackerman in 2004 with its Master Dermatologist Award which recognizes "an Academy member who throughout the span of his or her career has made significant contributions to the specialty of dermatology" and to the leadership and education programs of the Academy.
He wrote some 700 papers and 60 books and provided expert testimony at 200 trials. One of his final papers, published in the Archives of Dermatology
Archives of Dermatology
Archives of Dermatology is a monthly professional medical journal published by the American Medical Association. Archives of Dermatology publishes original, peer-reviewed reports and discussions that address the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment in medical and surgical dermatology,...
in 2008, was titled "An Inquiry Into the Nature of the Pigmented Lesion Above Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Left Eyebrow", in which Ackerman argued that the failure of Roosevelt's physicians to consider the possibility of melanoma shows the flaws in medical wisdom at the time for diagnosing such lesions.
Ackerman died at age 72 on December 5, 2008 of an acute cardiovascular event at his home in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.