University of Texas
Harvard Medical School. Photo: The original uploader was JosephBarillari at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hms-quad.jpg)
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UT_Southwestern.jpg)
University of Texas
Harvard Medical School. Photo: The original uploader was JosephBarillari at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hms-quad.jpg)
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UT_Southwestern.jpg)
Louis Tobian Jr. was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, on January 26, 1920. His parents were Isabelle and Louis Tobian. He remained closely connected to his Texas background after moving into academic medicine and research, and his retained Texas accent was remembered by colleagues as part of his distinctive personality. Tobian married Frances, with whom he shared 54 years of marriage, and they had a daughter, Anne, and grandchildren Libby and Lucy.
Tobian completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Texas in 1940. During World War II he entered Harvard Medical School's accelerated medical program and received the Doctor of Medicine degree in 1943. His subsequent postgraduate training combined clinical preparation in Boston, San Francisco, and Dallas with research training in biological chemistry at Harvard Medical School from 1951 to 1953. The sequence gave him a foundation in clinical medicine and experimental investigation that shaped his later work in renal disease and hypertension.
Tobian began postgraduate medical training as an intern at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, identified in some records as Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston in 1944. He continued residency training at University of California Hospital in San Francisco from 1944 to 1945 and at Parkland Hospital in Dallas from 1945 to 1946. From 1951 to 1953 he was a research fellow in biological chemistry at Harvard Medical School. He then joined the faculty of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, first as an assistant professor of medicine and later as a professor of medicine. In 1954 he moved to the University of Minnesota Medical School as an associate professor of medicine and spent the remainder of his professional career there, later becoming professor and professor emeritus. At Minnesota he led the Division of Renal Diseases from 1964 to 1976 and the Hypertension Section from 1964 to 1994. His research used experimental models of hypertension to examine renal function, sodium and potassium balance, vascular electrolytes, prostaglandins, renin, the juxtaglomerular apparatus, and renal papillary blood flow. He helped clarify relationships between renal sodium handling and renin production, investigated vasodilator substances produced in the renal medulla, and studied the effects of potassium on vascular complications, stroke, and progressive renal failure. His career combined laboratory investigation with clinical medicine, teaching, mentorship, and professional leadership. He contributed substantially to the founding and development of Hypertension and remained active in academic medicine until his retirement from the University of Minnesota.
Advanced understanding of the pathophysiology of hypertension through studies of renal function, sodium and potassium balance, prostaglandins, renin, the juxtaglomerular apparatus, renal papillary blood flow, and vascular electrolytes.
Demonstrated a protective effect of potassium against stroke and other vascular complications in experimental hypertension.
Clarified relationships between renal sodium handling, renin production, renal vascular injury, and progressive renal failure.
Helped establish and develop the journal Hypertension as an official publication of the American Heart Association.
(Published interview with Louis Tobian conducted by Marvin...)
2004(Review article on the kidney's role in extracellular-flui...)
1974(Review of the relationship between dietary salt and hyper...)
1978(Co-authored with Karen Coffee, Dorothy Ferreira, and Judi...)
1964(Co-authored with Karen Coffee; published in Proceedings o...)
1964(Article examining the relationship between dietary salt, ...)
1983(Lecture on the relationship between dietary sodium, potas...)
1988(Review of animal-model research relating dietary salt and...)
1991(Article examining renal vascular injury, potassium, hyper...)
1987(Co-authored with John Binion; published in the Journal of...)
1954(Published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.)
1964(Research article by Louis Tobian Jr. on hypertension foll...)
1950Tobian belonged to the Association of American Physicians, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the American Physiological Society, the American Society of Hypertension, the American Society of Nephrology, and the American Heart Association's Council for High Blood Pressure Research. He chaired the Council for High Blood Pressure Research from 1974 to 1976 and chaired the circulation group of the American Physiological Society in 1977. He served as president of the American Society of Hypertension from 1992 to 1994. He also served on National Institutes of Health study sections, chaired federal committees concerned with hypertension and renal vascular disease, participated in the NIH Task Force on Hypertension, served on the National Kidney Foundation's scientific advisory board, and contributed to editorial boards in hypertension and kidney disease. As chairman of the American Heart Association Council for High Blood Pressure Research, he advocated for Hypertension to become an official American Heart Association publication.
Association of American Physicians , United States
American Society for Clinical Investigation , United States
Chairman of the circulation group in 1977.
American Physiological Society , United States
1977
President from 1992 to 1994; recipient of the Richard Bright Award in 1992 and the Outstanding Leadership Award in 2000.
American Society of Hypertension , United States
1992 - 1994
Recipient of the John P. Peters Award in 1990.
American Society of Nephrology , United States
Chairman from 1974 to 1976.
Council for High Blood Pressure Research , United States
1974 - 1976
Served on study sections and chaired federal committees concerned with hypertension and renal vascular disease, including the NIH Task Force on Hypertension.
National Institutes of Health , United States
Served on the scientific advisory board.
National Kidney Foundation , United States
Colleagues described Tobian as intellectually rigorous, self-effacing, discerning, and deeply committed to clear scientific reasoning. He was known for reducing complex scientific problems to fundamental elements, distinguishing strong research from weak work, and offering generous advice to younger investigators. He retained a strong sense of humor and an enduring curiosity about science and life. He was also remembered as a dedicated clinician who remained engaged with patients and as an active participant in departmental conferences.
Quotes from others about the person
Jay N. Cohn described Tobian as an intellectual giant and an exceptionally nonarrogant person of great accomplishment. Colleagues remembered his ability to identify the essential elements of complex scientific problems, his impeccable judgment in separating excellence from mediocrity, and his influential advice to younger investigators.
Tobian maintained long-standing professional connections with the University of Minnesota, the American Heart Association's Council for High Blood Pressure Research, the American Society of Hypertension, the American Society of Nephrology, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Kidney Foundation. He was married to Frances for 54 years and was the father of Anne. He was survived by his wife Frances, his daughter Anne, his granddaughters Libby and Lucy, and his sister Jean Eisenberg.
