Isabelle Rapin

{{short description|Autism researcher}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox academic | honorific_prefix =  | name = Isabelle Rapin | honorific_suffix = | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name =  | birth_date = {{birth date|1927|12|4}} | birth_place = Lausanne, Switzerland | death_date = {{death date and age|2017|5|24|1927|12|4}} | death_place = Rhinebeck, New York | death_cause = | region = | nationality = | citizenship = | residence = | other_names = | occupation = | period = | known_for = | title = | boards =  | spouse = Harold Oaklander | children = | awards = | website = | education = | alma_mater = University of Lausanne | thesis_title = | thesis_url = | thesis_year = | school_tradition = | doctoral_advisor = | academic_advisors = | influences =  | era = | discipline = Neurology; Pediatrics | sub_discipline =  | workplaces = Bellevue Hospital, <br> Albert Einstein College of Medicine | doctoral_students =  | notable_students =  | main_interests = | notable_works = | notable_ideas = | influenced =  | signature = | signature_alt = | signature_size = | footnotes = }} '''Isabelle Juliette Martha Rapin''', M.D. (December 4, 1927 – May 24, 2017),<ref name=NYTObit>{{cite news|author=Sandomir R|title=Isabelle Rapin, Who Advanced Concept of an Autism Spectrum, Dies at 89|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/09/science/obituary-neurologist-isabelle-rapin-autism.html?|accessdate=June 11, 2017|work=New York Times|date=June 9, 2017}}</ref> was a professor of both Neurology and Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.<ref name=EinsteinBio>{{cite web |url= http://www.einstein.yu.edu/faculty/2722/isabelle-rapin/ |title= Isabelle Rapin, M.D. |publisher= Albert Einstein College of Medicine |accessdate= December 29, 2013 |archive-date= November 7, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181107104302/http://www.einstein.yu.edu/faculty/2722/isabelle-rapin/ |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref name=LivingLegend>{{cite web |url= http://www.einstein.yu.edu/features/stories/858/dr-isabelle-rapin-a-living-legend/ |title= Dr. Isabelle Rapin: a living legend |publisher= Albert Einstein College of Medicine |date= December 26, 2012 |accessdate= December 29, 2013 |archive-date= August 9, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200809041056/http://www.einstein.yu.edu/features/stories/858/dr-isabelle-rapin-a-living-legend/ |url-status= dead }}</ref> She was a leading authority on autism for decades,<ref name=AutismStrikes>{{cite news |title= When autism strikes |author= Kenny A |work= New York Times |date= December 8, 2002 |page= WC1}}</ref><ref name=Twohonored/> and a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.<ref name=AAN/>

==Personal life and education== Rapin was born in Lausanne, Switzerland; her mother was from Connecticut, and her father was Swiss.<ref name=RapinAutobio>{{cite journal |author=Rapin I |title=Isabelle Rapin: an autobiography |journal=J. Child Neurol. |volume=16 |issue=5 |pages=352–6 |date=May 2001 |pmid=11392520 |doi=10.1177/088307380101600508|s2cid=38813901 }}</ref> As a child, she was an avid reader, and a Girl Scout who attended all-girls' schools between the ages of 9 and 19.<ref name=RapinAutobio/> Surrounded by a family of scientists, she decided to become a physician before she was ten years old.<ref name=RapinAutobio/>

She studied at the University of Lausanne Medical School<ref name=LivingLegend/> in 1946, in a class of around 100 students that included about a dozen women.<ref name=RapinAutobio/> She decided to become a pediatric neurologist in 1951 after she spent twelve weeks at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital and at the Hôpital des Enfants Malades in Paris.<ref name=RapinAutobio/> When she graduated from Lausanne Medical School in 1952, there were few paying jobs in Switzerland, so she applied to the United States to Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins and Bellevue Hospital. She immigrated to the United States in 1953 after being offered a position in pediatrics at Bellevue to begin in July.<ref name=RapinAutobio/><ref name= NYTObit/> In 1952, she received a Swiss Federal Diploma in Medicine. She received her M.D. in 1955, when her thesis was published in the ''Swiss Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry''.<ref name=RapinAutobio/>

She met her husband, Harold Oaklander, in August 1958, and they were married in the spring of 1959.<ref name=RapinAutobio/><ref>{{cite news|title=Dr. Isabelle Rapin Bride of a Teacher|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1959/04/06/89120455.html?action=click&contentCollection=Archives&module=ArticleEndCTA&region=ArchiveBody&pgtype=article&pageNumber=31|accessdate=May 26, 2017|work=New York Times|date=April 6, 1959|page=31}}</ref> Of her husband, she said: "Without his unselfish and sustained encouragement and help, his willingness to share in all household and child-rearing jobs (except for car maintenance, his, and sewing, mine), I could never have flourished in child neurology as I did."<ref name=RapinAutobio/> Her husband finished his Ph.D. at Columbia University, but knew she would not leave the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, so he accepted a "less prestigious" job nearby.<ref name=RapinAutobio/> They had four children: two daughters and two sons.<ref name=RapinAutobio/>

==Career== Rapin interned in pediatrics at New York City's Bellevue Hospital, and did her residency in neurology at the Neurological Institute at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, where she also completed a year of fellowship.<ref name=LivingLegend/> She joined the Albert Einstein College of Medicine faculty in 1958 and retired at the age of 84 in 2012.<ref name=LivingLegend/> Of the developments in the field of autism during those years, Rapin said, "Especially in the days before autism was all over the Internet and print media, parents who came for advice were most likely to report problems with language ... These days, Internet-savvy parents worry about autism but do not always tell me their concerns when they visit my office, because they want to hear my independent diagnosis."<ref name=SFARI>{{cite web |url= http://sfari.org/news-and-opinion/viewpoint/2011/isabelle-rapin-lessons-from-my-clinic |title= Isabelle Rapin: lessons from my clinic |publisher= SFARI: Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative |author= Rapin I |date= May 24, 2011 |accessdate= December 29, 2013}}</ref>

Rapin said, "My interest in language disorders and autism was enhanced by the arrival at Einstein of Dr. Doris A. Allen, whose background was developmental psycholinguistics, psychology, and speech pathology ... After evaluating hundreds of autistic children, I became convinced that the report by one third of parents of autistic preschoolers of a very early language and behavioral regression is real and deserving of biologic investigation."<ref name=RapinAutobio/>

===Appointments=== Rapin helped found the Child Neurology Society and the International Child Neurology Association.<ref name=LivingLegend/> At Einstein, she founded the Child Neurology Service and Fellowship Program.<ref name=LivingLegend/>

She served on the boards of the Child Neurology Society, the International Child Neurology Association, the American Academy of Neurology and the International Neuropsychology Society.<ref name=RapinAutobio/><ref name=MNT/>

==Recognition and other achievements== ''The Boston Globe'' said in 1992 that Rapin was "a specialist in neurological diseases of children [who] discovered several such diseases and also is a leading authority on autism".<ref name=Twohonored/> The ''New York Times'' said: "Considered by many the doyenne of autism, Dr. Rapin has spent decades studying the disability."<ref name=AutismStrikes/>

Albert Einstein College of Medicine said that Rapin was "a leader in the field of child neurology ... credited with a number of discoveries in the field of neurogenetic disorders in childhood, including shaping our understanding of autism ... In addition to her renown as a 'mother of autism,' she has been called 'a luminary in her field' and 'always the guiding light'."<ref name=LivingLegend/> To honor Rapin, in 2012, Einstein established an annual conference on communication disorders.<ref name=LivingLegend/> According to colleague Mark Mehler, M.D., "She is the world's expert in the field of pediatric communication disorders, and during her career she defined as well as refined our understanding of an entire field."<ref name=LivingLegend/> In 2006, Einstein held an international symposium on autism honoring Rapin.<ref name=LivingLegend/><ref name=MNT>{{cite press release |url= http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/58977.php |title= Putting perspective on autism: a symposium in honor of Dr. Isabelle Rapin and her numerous contributions to the field |publisher= Medical News Today |date= December 13, 2006 |accessdate= December 29, 2013}}</ref>

Rapin's awards and recognition included: * President's Award from the American Academy of Neurology<ref name=AAN>{{cite press release |url= https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/PressRelease/824 |title= AAN announces 2010 award winners in neurologic research |publisher= American Academy of Neurology |date= 2010 |accessdate= December 29, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232055/https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/PressRelease/824 |archive-date= December 30, 2013 |url-status= dead }}</ref> * Honorary Alumna status from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine<ref name=LivingLegend/> * Award for Excellence in Autism Research from the Autism Society of America<ref name=MNT/> * Shriver Center Award<ref name=Twohonored>{{cite news |title= Two are honored for aid to retarded |work= Boston Globe |date= June 9, 1992 |page= 95}}</ref>

In an autobiography published in the ''Journal of Child Neurology'', Rapin said:<blockquote>"The message I would give a young colleague is that child neurology is a wonderfully rewarding field, intellectually and personally, because of the families you will meet. In order to have it all, that is, be married, have children, restore and furnish an antique house, work in the garden, enjoy a lot of what life offers, and have a great job, you need a supportive and generous mate, adequate baby sitting and house help, flexibility, good humor, and a nose for the unusual. Consider every patient a potential source of new knowledge, describe what you see, pursue your interests vigorously, and learn to cut corners and prioritize. Find a good mentor, enjoy what you do, and be lucky."<ref name=RapinAutobio/></blockquote>

==Publications == As of 2006, Rapin had published more than 135 papers and 75 book chapters;<ref name=MNT/> some of her books were: * {{cite book |title= Autism: A Neurological Disorder of Early Brain Development |vauthors=Tuchman R, Rapin I |year= 2006|publisher=MacKeith Press |isbn= 978-0444503633}} * {{cite book |title= Language: Normal and Pathological Development |vauthors=Riva D, Rapin I, Zardini G |year= 2006 |publisher= John Libbey Eurotext Ltd |isbn= 978-2472006384}} * {{cite book |title= Preschool Children with Inadequate Communication |author= Rapin I |year= 1996 |publisher= MacKeith Press |isbn = 978-1898683070}} * {{cite book |title= Handbook of Neuropsychology |volume= 6 |author= Rapin I |publisher= Elsevier Science Ltd |isbn= 978-0444820600 |year= 1994}} * {{cite book |title= Children with Brain Dysfunction: Neurology, Cognition, Language, and Behavior |author= Rapin I |publisher= Raven Press |isbn= 978-0890048443 |year= 1982 }} * {{cite book |title= Rett Syndrome and Autism |vauthors=Haas RH, Rapin I, Moser HW |publisher= Year Book Medical Pub |date= 1988 |isbn= 978-9990808179}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite news |title= Is the autistic brain too masculine? |author= McGough R |work= Wall Street Journal |date= July 16, 2003 |page= B1}} * {{cite journal|vauthors=Ballaban-Gil K, Moshé SL|title=In Memoriam: Isabelle Rapin, M.D. (1927–2017).|journal=Pediatric Neurology|date=June 9, 2017|doi=10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2017.06.004 |volume= 74 |pages= 3–5 }} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rapin, Isabelle}} Category:1927 births Category:2017 deaths Category:Albert Einstein College of Medicine faculty Category:American neurologists Category:Women neurologists Category:American women neuroscientists Category:American neuroscientists Category:American pediatricians Category:Women pediatricians Category:American people of Swiss descent Category:Autism researchers Category:Academics from Lausanne Category:Swiss neurologists Category:American women academics Category:21st-century American women