Genes, Medicine, Moods

One can have a successful professional career, and a meaningful, personal life while struggling all the while with a common mental illness: bipolar disorder. This memoir describes the author's widely recognized research in the field of inherited metabolic disorders in children, his pivotal role as Dean of the Yale University School of Medicine and as Chief Scientific Officer of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, his contributions to public affairs, and his efforts as a teacher of medical, graduate, undergraduate, and high school students. These stories are interwoven with that of his personal encounter with bipolar disorder—one that has gone on for 60 years, and once nearly ended his life in a Prozac-precipitated suicide attempt. This is a narrative of hope and resilience, not one of desolation and despair.

One can have a successful professional career, and a meaningful, personal life while struggling all the while with a common mental illness: bipolar disorder. This memoir describes the author's widely recognized research in the field of inherited metabolic disorders in children, his pivotal role as Dean of the Yale University School of Medicine and as Chief Scientific Officer of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, his contributions to public affairs, and his efforts as a teacher of medical, graduate, undergraduate, and high school students. These stories are interwoven with that of his personal encounter with bipolar disorder—one that has gone on for 60 years, and once nearly ended his life in a Prozac-precipitated suicide attempt. This is a narrative of hope and resilience, not one of desolation and despair.

Leon E. Rosenberg is a physician, geneticist, educator, and institutional leader. His past leadership positions include: Dean, Yale University School of Medicine; Chief Scientific Officer, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; President of the Association of American Physicians, the American Society for Human Genetics, and the Funding First Initiative of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. He is the author of two books, and nearly 300 scientific articles and reviews. He has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His honors include honorary degrees from the University of Wisconsin and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the Borden Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Kober Medal from the Association of American Physicians, and the McKusick Award from the American Society for Human Genetics. He has taught at Yale University, Princeton University, and the Princeton Day School. He and his wife have four children, and reside in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.