WASHINGTON, DC, March 18, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- William R. Sansalone, Ph.D., a long-time biographee of Marquis print publications, was recently selected for inclusion in Marquis Biographies Online. As with all Marquis volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of visibility, positions held, prominence in a profession, and societal contributions.
In a career spanning five decades, Dr. Sansalone contributed in multiple ways to medical teaching and research. After serving on the faculty at the Downstate Medical Center (DMC), he became well known for his work with the National Institutes of Health.
From 1961 to 1971 at DMC (part of the State University of New York), he taught medical students biochemistry and did research on potassium-deficient muscle cells. His findings were published, mainly, in the Proceedings of The Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine and the Journal of Nutrition. He also served on the Admissions Committee during the late 1960s--a period of social upheaval that rapidly propelled increased diversity in medical school admissions (and elsewhere).
At the National Institutes of Health (1971 to 1996), Dr. Sansalone held a series of positions related to federal support of medical research. During the halcyon years of the "War on Cancer" (1970s and '80s), he played a significant role in inaugurating basic research at the Comprehensive Cancer Centers, then being established across the United States. While with the Division of Lung Diseases, he helped create research initiatives on diseases such as black lung (prevalent in coal miners) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (prevalent in smokers). As director of the planning office for arthritis, musculoskeletal, and skin diseases, he set forth the congressional justification for expanded research on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, lupus, and other diseases that disproportionately affect women.
In 1996 he returned to academia. At Georgetown University he advised faculty on developing medical research proposals and served as adjunct professor of biochemistry in the School of Medicine. He edited and produced three books. Balancing the Equation, the Health and Lifestyles of America's Children (published in 2000) addressed childhood obesity before it became well known to the general public. Fat in the American Diet (published in 1999) discussed dietary lipids and what guidance people should receive to achieve a healthful diet. What Is a Nutrient? Defining the Food-Drug Continuum (published in 1999) dealt with components of food that promote health; for example, isothyocynate, a constituent of broccoli that can protect against cancer. All three books were published by the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at Georgetown. He retired from the School of Medicine in 2007.
Dr. Sansalone prepared for his career, mostly during the 1950s, at Rutgers University and the University of New Hampshire. As a graduate student, he worked as a half-time teaching assistant. After military service in Germany (1956 to 1958), he returned to Rutgers, where he received his Ph.D. degree in nutritional biochemistry in 1961.
At age 18 Bill Sansalone, as he is known to his friends, received a priceless gift from Rutgers: a full-tuition scholarship. Today, his efforts to repay that gift continue through the pursuit of science and writing for the greater good.
PHOTOS:
# 1. William R. Sansalone, Ph.D.
PHOTO CREDIT: Georgetown University, 2007
# 2. The biographee with medical student Hayden Briggs at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, in 1969. Hayden Briggs would become an affiliate of The Brooklyn Hospital Center, specializing in gastroenterology and internal medicine.
PHOTO CREDIT: SUNY Downstate Medical Center
# 3. The biographee and spouse Alice Koury Sansalone at commencement time on the Rutgers University campus in June 1961. Both received graduate degrees (Ph.D. and M.S., respectively).
PHOTO CREDIT: Will Gainfort, New Brunswick, NJ
# 4. The biographee's parents, Fortunato and Rosa Pelle Sansalone, and siblings Joe and Mary. After emigrating from Italy in 1913, the couple cleared 35 acres of wooded land near Vineland, N.J., for fruit and vegetable production. They reared eight children on the homeplace.
PHOTO CREDIT: Unknown photographer in Canton, OH, 1916
About Marquis Who's Who :
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America , Marquis Who's Who has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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