Rose Grundfest Schneider

Rose Grundfest Schneider (July 19, 1908 – October 8, 2003) was an American medical researcher, hematologist, geneticist, and educator known for her work on abnormal hemoglobins, sickle-cell disease, and hemoglobin variants. Associated with the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), she conducted research that contributed to the identification and characterization of numerous hemoglobin variants and to the development of large-scale screening methods for inherited blood disorders.

Early life and education

Rose Grundfest was born in Minsk, Russian Empire, on July 19, 1908. Her parents were Aaron Grundfest and Gertrude Merliss Grundfest. In 1958 Schneider and Mary Ellen Haggard reported the identification of Hemoglobin P ("Galveston Type") in Nature. The following year they described another previously unidentified hemoglobin variant in an American Black patient population in The BMJ.

Her later work examined additional hemoglobin variants, including Hemoglobin G-Coushatta, identified in an American Indian family and reported in Science in 1964. Schneider also published research on the interpretation and reliability of sickling tests used in diagnosing sickle-cell disease and related hemoglobinopathies. One of her studies, published in Blood in 1976, analyzed abnormal hemoglobins in approximately 250,000 individuals.

In 1969, Schneider became research professor of pediatrics and professor of human biological chemistry and genetics at UTMB.

Honors and recognition

In 1973 Schneider became the first woman named Citizen of the Year by the Galveston Chamber of Commerce.

In 1985 the Texas Genetics Society awarded her the Outstanding Contributions in Genetics in Texas Prize.

Death

Schneider died in Galveston, Texas, on October 8, 2003, at the age of 95.

Selected publications

Schneider, R. G. (1967). "Sickling Tests: Pitfalls in Performance and Interpretation." JAMA 202 (5): 419. Schneider, R. G.; Haggard, M. E. (1959). "A New Haemoglobin Variant in an American Negro." BMJ 2 (5147): 285. Schneider, R. G.; Haggard, M. E. (1958). "Hæmoglobin P (the 'Galveston' Type)." Nature 182 (4631): 322–323. Schneider, R. G.; Haggard, M. E.; McNutt, C. W.; Johnson, J. E.; Bowman, B. H.; Barnett, D. R. (1964). "Hemoglobin Gcoushatta: A New Variant in an American Indian Family." Science 143 (3607): 697–698. Schneider, R.; Hightower, B.; Hosty, T.; Ryder, H.; Tomlin, G.; Atkins, R.; Brimhall, B.; Jones, R. (1976). "Abnormal hemoglobins in a quarter million people." Blood 48 (5): 629–637.