John Parascandola (born July 14, 1941) is an American medical historian. He has written numerous books, including ''The Development of American Pharmacology: John J. Abel and the Shaping of a Discipline'', and held the position of Public Health Service Historian.

Education

Parascandola received his Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry from Brooklyn College before receiving his Master's Degree in Biochemistry and his PhD in the History of Science in 1968 at the

University of Wisconsin - Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. Parascandola did post-doctoral work at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

Career

Parascandola's career began in 1974 as Director of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy, where he remained until 1981. In 1983, Parascandola became Chief of the History of Medicine Division of the

United States National Library of Medicine The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. Its ...

. In 1992, he became Public Health Service Historian, which he held until his retirement in 2004. He has taught at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

and currently teaches at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

Writings

Parascandola's two most recognized books are ''The Development of American Pharmacology: John J. Abel and the Shaping of a Discipline'', which was written in 1992 and received the 1994 George Urdang Medal, and ''Sex, Sin, and Science: A History of Syphilis in America'', which was released in 2008 and won the George Pendleton Prize for 2009.

Awards

Parascandola has been the recipient of several awards, including the Surgeon General’s Exemplary Service Award, the Assistant Secretary for Health’s Superior Service Award, the

National Institute of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

Merit Award, and the

Surgeon General's Medallion The Surgeon General's Medallion is the fourth highest award of the Public Health Service and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. The medal is awarded in the name of the United States Surgeon General for actions of except ...

. In 2002, he received the Sidney M. Edelstein Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry from the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

References

External links

Parascandola's personal web page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parascandola, John People from Rockville, Maryland 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Brooklyn College alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Harvard University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty 1941 births Living people 21st-century American chemists Historians from Maryland American male non-fiction writers