Alberto Carlos Taquini
Encyclopedia
Alberto Carlos Taquini was an Argentine cardiologist, clinical resarcher and academic.
to Carlota Castiglioni and Alberto Taquini. He enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires
, and graduated with a Medical Degree
in 1929. Taquini married Haydée Azumendi, and they had three children.
He joined the research team led by Dr. Bernardo Houssay
(who would earn the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
in 1946), at the Department of Physiology of the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine. Taquini worked with Luis Leloir (Nobel Prize in Chemistry
, 1970), and in 1937, was named head of the research team. The team, which included Eduardo Braun-Menéndez and Juan Carlos Fasciolo, discovered angiotensin
in 1939, and was the first to describe the enzymatic nature of the renin-angiotensin system
and its role in hypertension
. The renin-angiotensin system has since been demonstrated to be related to numerous physiological regulatory processes, both in normal and pathophysiological conditions, and to play critical roles in the circulatory system
.
This work earned Taquini a 1939 scholarship from the Argentine Society for the Advanacement of Science, with which he completed further studies at the Harvard School of Medicine. He was appointed director of the new Institute of Cardiology Research at the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine in 1944. The institute was created by Taquini's initiative and funding from local businessman Virginio Grego.
Taquini continued to direct the institute, while serving as chair of Internal Medicine
(1952—1956) and of Physiology
(1961—1970), earning national and international renown in the field of cardiology
and hypertension
. Dr. Taquini was elected President of the World Heart Federation
(1954—1962), the International Council on Hypertension (1954—1968), the Argentine Society of Clinical Investigation, the Argentine Society of Cardiology, and the Argentine Association for the Advancement of Science (1967—1987). A member of the Buenos Aires National Academy of Medicine
, he received around 100 national and international awards and was named an Honorary Member of the American College of Physicians
, the American Physiological Society
, the American Heart Association
, and the European Society of Cardiology
.
He was appointed Director of the Argentine National Research Council (CONICET) in 1969, and served as the first Secretary of State for Science and Technology of Argentina (1968—1971). His son, Alberto Taquini
, served a Chief of Staff during his father's tenure, and drafted the 1970 "Plan Taquini," which by way of decentralizing the strained system, resulted in the increase in the number of public universities in the country from 10 to 23 by 1973 (and to 40 by 2010). Taquini continued to teach as Professor Emeritus at the University of Buenos Aires. He also sered as Visiting Professor in prestigious institutions around the world, including: the University of California
, Stanford, Columbia
, the University of Michigan
, and Cornell
, the University of Toronto
, the University of Oxford
, the University of Milan
, the University of San Marcos in Peru, and the University of Chile.
Taquini authored four books and collaborated in several others, as well as publishing over 350 scientific papers. He was a member of the editorial committees of many journals: Medicina, Revista de la Sociedad Argentina de Cardiología, Acta Physiologica et Pharmacologica Latino-Americana, the American Heart Association Journal
, and Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et Thérapie, among others.
He remained active in both academia and on the golf
course in later years, and remained as head of the Institute of Cardiology Research when he died in Buenos Aires in 1998. He was 92.
Life and work
Taquini was born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
to Carlota Castiglioni and Alberto Taquini. He enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
, and graduated with a Medical Degree
Medical degree
A medical degree is, broadly defined, any academic degree which places its holder in a position to engage in the practice of medicine. BBC has reported that Medicine related degree programs such as MBBS, BDS and PharmD are the most difficult degree programs of all the other Bachelor degree programs...
in 1929. Taquini married Haydée Azumendi, and they had three children.
He joined the research team led by Dr. Bernardo Houssay
Bernardo Houssay
-External links:* * . WhoNamedIt.* . Nobel Foundation....
(who would earn the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
in 1946), at the Department of Physiology of the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine. Taquini worked with Luis Leloir (Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
, 1970), and in 1937, was named head of the research team. The team, which included Eduardo Braun-Menéndez and Juan Carlos Fasciolo, discovered angiotensin
Angiotensin
Angiotensin, a peptide hormone, causes blood vessels to constrict, and drives blood pressure up. It is part of the renin-angiotensin system, which is a major target for drugs that lower blood pressure. Angiotensin also stimulates the release of aldosterone, another hormone, from the adrenal cortex...
in 1939, and was the first to describe the enzymatic nature of the renin-angiotensin system
Renin-angiotensin system
The renin-angiotensin system or the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is a hormone system that regulates blood pressure and water balance....
and its role in hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
. The renin-angiotensin system has since been demonstrated to be related to numerous physiological regulatory processes, both in normal and pathophysiological conditions, and to play critical roles in the circulatory system
Circulatory system
The circulatory system is an organ system that passes nutrients , gases, hormones, blood cells, etc...
.
This work earned Taquini a 1939 scholarship from the Argentine Society for the Advanacement of Science, with which he completed further studies at the Harvard School of Medicine. He was appointed director of the new Institute of Cardiology Research at the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine in 1944. The institute was created by Taquini's initiative and funding from local businessman Virginio Grego.
Taquini continued to direct the institute, while serving as chair of Internal Medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
(1952—1956) and of Physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
(1961—1970), earning national and international renown in the field of cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
and hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
. Dr. Taquini was elected President of the World Heart Federation
World Heart Federation
The World Heart Federation is a nongovernmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland dedicated to the prevention and control of heart disease and heart foundations from over 100 countries covering the regions of Asia-Pacific, Europe, East Mediterranean, the Americas and Africa.-History:The...
(1954—1962), the International Council on Hypertension (1954—1968), the Argentine Society of Clinical Investigation, the Argentine Society of Cardiology, and the Argentine Association for the Advancement of Science (1967—1987). A member of the Buenos Aires National Academy of Medicine
Buenos Aires National Academy of Medicine
The Buenos Aires National Academy of Medicine is an Argentine non-profit organization and learned society.-Overview:The National Academy of Medicine is the oldest medical Academy in Argentina, and was founded in Buenos Aires in 1822, coinciding with the establishment of the University of Buenos...
, he received around 100 national and international awards and was named an Honorary Member of the American College of Physicians
American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is a national organization of doctors of internal medicine —physicians who specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults. With 130,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in...
, the American Physiological Society
American Physiological Society
The American Physiological Society was founded in 1887 with 28 members. Of them, 21 were graduates of medical schools, but only 12 had studied in schools that had a professor of physiology. Today, the APS has 10,500 members, most of whom hold doctoral degrees in medicine, physiology or other...
, the American Heart Association
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
, and the European Society of Cardiology
European Society of Cardiology
The European Society of Cardiology is a membership organisation of more than 70,000 cardiology professionals across Europe and the Mediterranean. It is involved in scientific and educational activities for cardiology professionals and also promotes cardiovascular disease prevention messages to the...
.
He was appointed Director of the Argentine National Research Council (CONICET) in 1969, and served as the first Secretary of State for Science and Technology of Argentina (1968—1971). His son, Alberto Taquini
Alberto Taquini
Alberto Carlos Taquini is an Argentine biochemist and academic whose "Taquini Plan" resulted in the decentralization of Argentina's public university system.-Life and work:...
, served a Chief of Staff during his father's tenure, and drafted the 1970 "Plan Taquini," which by way of decentralizing the strained system, resulted in the increase in the number of public universities in the country from 10 to 23 by 1973 (and to 40 by 2010). Taquini continued to teach as Professor Emeritus at the University of Buenos Aires. He also sered as Visiting Professor in prestigious institutions around the world, including: the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, Stanford, Columbia
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 Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, and Cornell
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, the University of Milan
University of Milan
The University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
, the University of San Marcos in Peru, and the University of Chile.
Taquini authored four books and collaborated in several others, as well as publishing over 350 scientific papers. He was a member of the editorial committees of many journals: Medicina, Revista de la Sociedad Argentina de Cardiología, Acta Physiologica et Pharmacologica Latino-Americana, the American Heart Association Journal
Circulation (journal)
Circulation is a scientific journal published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins for the American Heart Association. The journal publishes articles related to research in and the practice of cardiovascular diseases, including observational studies, clinical trials, epidemiology, health services and...
, and Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et Thérapie, among others.
He remained active in both academia and on the golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course in later years, and remained as head of the Institute of Cardiology Research when he died in Buenos Aires in 1998. He was 92.