Juan Rosai
Encyclopedia
Juan Rosai, M.D. is an Italian-born American physician who has contributed to clinical research in the subspecialty of surgical pathology
. He is the principal author and editor of a major textbook in that field, and he has characterized novel medical conditions such as Rosai-Dorfman disease
and the desmoplastic small round cell tumor
. Rosai is also well-known because of his role as mentor and teacher to many American and international surgical pathologists.
, a little town near Florence
, province of Arezzo
, in the region of Tuscany
, Italy
. When he was eight years old, his parents emigrated to Buenos Aires
, Argentina
because of the economic problems in Italy after World War II
. At the age of 15 Rosai enrolled in the School of Medicine at the University of Buenos Aires
. During his third year of medical school, he met Professor Eduardo Lascano, a pathologist who influenced young Rosai's interest in that discipline. Dr. Rosai earned the M.D. degree at the age of 21, and then he did the residency training
in Anatomic Pathology at the same university, under the direction of Dr. Lascano. While serving subsequently as a house officer in pathology at the Regional Hospital of Mar del Plata
, Rosai was introduced to Dr. Lauren Ackerman
at a medical conference in Argentina. Ackerman invited Rosai to train with him in St. Louis, Missouri
in the United States.
and Barnes Hospital
under Ackerman's tutelage. Subsequently, Rosai remained on the faculty of Washington University until 1974, when he was appointed Professor & Director of Anatomic Pathology at the University of Minnesota
in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He left there in 1985 for an identical position at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, where he stayed until 1991. From 1991 to 1999, Rosai was the James Ewing Alumni Professor and Chairman of Pathology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
in New York City.
and the University of Bologna
. He chose to move permanently back to Italy in 2000, as Chairman of the Department of Anatomic Pathology at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan
, Italy. In 2005, he became the Director of the Center for Oncologic Pathology Consultations at the Centro Diagnostico Italiano in Milan, Italy, where he continues his work teaching surgical pathology to Italian, American and international young pathologists and also with his pathology consultation service. Rosai still has academic connections to the United States, as Adjunct Professor of Pathology at the Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University; Visiting Professor of Pathology at Harvard University
and Massachusetts General Hospital
; and Senior Pathologist at Genzyme
Genetics Corporation, New York.
), desmoplastic small round cell tumor
, spindle-cell epithelial tumor with thymus-like differentiation of the thyroid, and sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation of the spleen. He is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal Of Surgical Pathology
as well as a member of the editorial boards of several other pathology journals. Rosai was also Editor-in-Chief of the 3rd Series of the Atlas of Tumor Pathology of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
(AFIP), and author of AFIP fascicles on Tumors of the Thymus and Tumors of the Thyroid Gland. Rosai has edited a book on the history of American surgical pathology, called Guiding the Surgeon's Hand, and has been the principal author and editor of a pathology textbook called Rosai and Ackerman's Surgical Pathology, now in its tenth edition (ISBN 9780323069694). He has also edited or co-edited 13 other books. Because of his professional accomplishments and his mentorship of many American and international professional trainees, Rosai has been called "the pathologist of pathologists".
files through the USCAP website as an open and free educational and historical resource. The transformation of this precious collection into digital, 24/7, anytime-anywhere accessible format is under way through a collaboration between Juan Rosai, USCAP, and Aperio Technologies, Inc., (Aperio); the digital collection is anticipated to become available on www.uscap.org in early 2011. The collection consists of almost 20,000 cases originally presented at more than 1,400 pathology seminars, and comprises digital images of the original histopathological slides, clinical history, and diagnostic summaries, along with present day commentary by Rosai and other experts.
Surgical pathology
Surgical pathology is the most significant and time-consuming area of practice for most anatomical pathologists. Surgical pathology involves the gross and microscopic examination of surgical specimens, as well as biopsies submitted by non-surgeons such as general internists, medical subspecialists,...
. He is the principal author and editor of a major textbook in that field, and he has characterized novel medical conditions such as Rosai-Dorfman disease
Rosai-Dorfman disease
Rosai–Dorfman disease, also known as sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy, is a rare disorder of unknown etiology that is characterized by the overproduction of histiocytes, which accumulate in lymph nodes throughout the body. Lymphadenopathy of the neck is the most common place of...
and the desmoplastic small round cell tumor
Desmoplastic small round cell tumor
Desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor is classified as a soft tissue sarcoma. It is an aggressive and rare tumor that primarily occurs as masses in the abdomen. Other areas affected may include the lymph nodes, the lining of the abdomen, diaphragm, spleen, liver, chest wall, skull, spinal cord, large...
. Rosai is also well-known because of his role as mentor and teacher to many American and international surgical pathologists.
Early life & education
Juan Rosai was born in PoppiPoppi
Poppi is a comune in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 40 km east of Florence and about 30 km northwest of Arezzo....
, a little town near Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, province of Arezzo
Arezzo
Arezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....
, in the region of Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. When he was eight years old, his parents emigrated to Buenos Aires
Buenos 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...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
because of the economic problems in Italy after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. At the age of 15 Rosai enrolled in the School of Medicine 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...
. During his third year of medical school, he met Professor Eduardo Lascano, a pathologist who influenced young Rosai's interest in that discipline. Dr. Rosai earned the M.D. degree at the age of 21, and then he did the residency training
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...
in Anatomic Pathology at the same university, under the direction of Dr. Lascano. While serving subsequently as a house officer in pathology at the Regional Hospital of Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
, Rosai was introduced to Dr. Lauren Ackerman
Lauren Ackerman
Lauren Vedder Ackerman was a prestigious American pathologist, who championed the subspecialty of surgical pathology in the mid-twentieth century.- Early life :...
at a medical conference in Argentina. Ackerman invited Rosai to train with him in St. Louis, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
in the United States.
Career in the United States
After accepting the offer to pursue additional studies in the U.S., Dr. Rosai completed his residency and fellowship in anatomic pathology at Washington University School of MedicineWashington University School of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine , located in St. Louis, Missouri, is one of the graduate schools of Washington University in St. Louis. One of the top medical schools in the United States, it is currently ranked 4th for research according to U.S. News and World Report and has been listed...
and Barnes Hospital
Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Barnes-Jewish Hospital is the largest hospital in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the adult teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine, and is located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is consistently rated one of the top hospitals in the United States by U.S. News & World Report...
under Ackerman's tutelage. Subsequently, Rosai remained on the faculty of Washington University until 1974, when he was appointed Professor & Director of Anatomic Pathology at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He left there in 1985 for an identical position at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, where he stayed until 1991. From 1991 to 1999, Rosai was the James Ewing Alumni Professor and Chairman of Pathology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital...
in New York City.
Work in Italy
Dr. Rosai has maintained ties to Italy, his home country, throughout his life. In 1982–1983 he spent a sabbatical year at the University of FlorenceUniversity of Florence
The University of Florence is a higher study institute in Florence, central Italy. One of the largest and oldest universities in the country, it consists of 12 faculties...
and the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
. He chose to move permanently back to Italy in 2000, as Chairman of the Department of Anatomic Pathology at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy. In 2005, he became the Director of the Center for Oncologic Pathology Consultations at the Centro Diagnostico Italiano in Milan, Italy, where he continues his work teaching surgical pathology to Italian, American and international young pathologists and also with his pathology consultation service. Rosai still has academic connections to the United States, as Adjunct Professor of Pathology at the Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University; Visiting Professor of Pathology 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...
and 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...
; and Senior Pathologist at Genzyme
Genzyme
Genzyme Corporation is a fully owned subsidiary of Sanofi-Aventis. Before its acquisition, Genzyme was an American biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2010, Genzyme was the world’s third-largest biotechnology company, employing more than 11,000 people around the world...
Genetics Corporation, New York.
Scientific Publications
Rosai is an author of more than 400 scientific peer-reviewed papers on topics in pathology, including the seminal descriptions of such entities as sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (Rosai-Dorfman diseaseRosai-Dorfman disease
Rosai–Dorfman disease, also known as sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy, is a rare disorder of unknown etiology that is characterized by the overproduction of histiocytes, which accumulate in lymph nodes throughout the body. Lymphadenopathy of the neck is the most common place of...
), desmoplastic small round cell tumor
Desmoplastic small round cell tumor
Desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor is classified as a soft tissue sarcoma. It is an aggressive and rare tumor that primarily occurs as masses in the abdomen. Other areas affected may include the lymph nodes, the lining of the abdomen, diaphragm, spleen, liver, chest wall, skull, spinal cord, large...
, spindle-cell epithelial tumor with thymus-like differentiation of the thyroid, and sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation of the spleen. He is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal Of Surgical Pathology
International Journal Of Surgical Pathology
International Journal of Surgical Pathology is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the field of Pathology. The journal's editor is Juan Rosai, M.D. It has been in publication since 1993 and is currently published by SAGE Publications....
as well as a member of the editorial boards of several other pathology journals. Rosai was also Editor-in-Chief of the 3rd Series of the Atlas of Tumor Pathology of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology was a US government institution concerned with diagnostic consultation, education, and research in the medical specialty of pathology. It was founded in 1862 as the Army Medical Museum and was located in Washington, DC on the grounds of the Walter Reed Army...
(AFIP), and author of AFIP fascicles on Tumors of the Thymus and Tumors of the Thyroid Gland. Rosai has edited a book on the history of American surgical pathology, called Guiding the Surgeon's Hand, and has been the principal author and editor of a pathology textbook called Rosai and Ackerman's Surgical Pathology, now in its tenth edition (ISBN 9780323069694). He has also edited or co-edited 13 other books. Because of his professional accomplishments and his mentorship of many American and international professional trainees, Rosai has been called "the pathologist of pathologists".
The Rosai Slide Seminar Collection
During his career, Dr Rosai has accumulated a comprehensive collection of slide seminars including histopathology slides of interesting and educational pathological cases with the comments by connoted pathologists. During the 2010 annual meeting of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP), Dr. Rosai announced the donation of his entire slide seminars collection which will be available as digital pathologyDigital Pathology
Digital Pathology is an image-based information environment enabled by computer technology that allows for the management of information generated from a digital slide...
files through the USCAP website as an open and free educational and historical resource. The transformation of this precious collection into digital, 24/7, anytime-anywhere accessible format is under way through a collaboration between Juan Rosai, USCAP, and Aperio Technologies, Inc., (Aperio); the digital collection is anticipated to become available on www.uscap.org in early 2011. The collection consists of almost 20,000 cases originally presented at more than 1,400 pathology seminars, and comprises digital images of the original histopathological slides, clinical history, and diagnostic summaries, along with present day commentary by Rosai and other experts.
Professional Awards & Honors
In appreciation for his contributions to pathology, Rosai has received formal recognition from academic institutions around the world, as follows:- Life Trustee of the American Board of PathologyAmerican Board of Medical SpecialtiesThe American Board of Medical Specialties is a non-profit physician-led umbrella organization for 24 of the 26 approved medical specialty boards in the United States...
; - DoctorateDoctorateA doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
Honoris Causa at the University of BolognaUniversity of BolognaThe Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
, Italy (1988); - Maude AbbottMaude AbbottMaude Elizabeth Seymour Abbott was a Canadian doctor and was one of Canada's earliest female medical graduates and an expert on congenital heart disease....
Lecturer at the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Toronto, Canada (1995); - Doctorate Honoris Causa at the University of Santiago de CompostelaUniversity of Santiago de CompostelaThe Royal University of Santiago de Compostela - USC is a public university located in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. A second campus is located in Lugo, Galicia....
, Spain (1999); - Doctorate Honoris Causa at the National University of CórdobaNational University of CórdobaThe National University of Córdoba, , is the oldest university in Argentina, and one of the oldest in the Americas. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province. Since the early 20th century it has been the second largest university in the country in terms of the number of students,...
, Argentina (2000); - Honorary Membership in the Royal College of PathologistsRoyal College of PathologistsThe Royal College of Pathologists, founded in 1962, was established to co-ordinate this development and maintain the internationally renowned standards and reputation of British pathology. Today the College advises on a vast range of issues relating to pathology...
, England (2001); - Fred Waldorf Stewart Award of the Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center, New York (2006);
- Doctorate Honoris Causa at the University of IoanninaUniversity of IoanninaThe University of Ioannina is a university lying in the plains 5 km southwest of Ioannina, Greece. The campus is linked to the town by Greek National Road 5. It now hosts over 20,000 students in 17 faculties...
, Greece (2007); - Distinguished Pathologist Award of the Council of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Washington, D.C. (2010)
- The Golden Medal Award of the International Academy of PathologyInternational Academy of PathologyThe International Academy of Pathology was founded in the early 20th century, with the first documented meeting in 1907. Dr. William Osler, a scientist, played a key role in establishing the International Association of Medical Museums ....
(2011)
External links
- Interview with Juan Rosai (full transcript and audio file), from "Conversations with Pathologists", a website based on a book project by Sue Armstrong, sponsored by GenentechGenentechGenentech Inc., or Genetic Engineering Technology, Inc., is a biotechnology corporation, founded in 1976 by venture capitalist Robert A. Swanson and biochemist Dr. Herbert Boyer. Trailing the founding of Cetus by five years, it was an important step in the evolution of the biotechnology industry...
and The Pathological Society of Great Britain and IrelandPathological societyThe Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland is a professional organisation whose mission is stated as 'understanding disease'.- Membership and Profile :...
. - The Rosai's Collection of Surgical Pathology Seminars, free educational website sponsored by the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology and Aperio Technologies.
- Rosai and Ackerman's Surgical Pathology, 10th Edition - Expert Consult