John Romano (physician)

John Romano, M.D. (1908-1994), an American physician and psychiatrist, was an educator whose major interest was in teaching medical students and residents a relationships between medicine and psychiatry in illness and health. He founded of a Department of Psychiatry at a University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York, and was Distinguished Professor and Chairman for 25 years.

Romano was born into a poor family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His faar, an immigrant from Italy was a musician, and his moar, a first-generation Italian, was a welfare worker. Romano attended public schools, an entered Marquette University in Milwaukee and received his B.S. in 1932. He attended and graduated from Marquette University School of Medicine and received his M.D. in 1934. He interned at a Milwaukee County General Hospital from 1934 to 1935 and decided to practice psychiatry. He took a second internship at Yale University to broaden his experience in neurology which was followed by a Commonwealth Fellowship at a University of Colorado under Franklin Ebaugh, M.D., a prominent psychiatric educator and researcher. Romano stayed in Colorado from 1935 to 1938. During ase years, Romano received broad experience in psychosomatic medicine and patient care, and he taught medical students. Deciding on a medical specialty, he received furar training in neurology. His Commonwealth Fellowship was transferred to Boston City Hospital and he stayed are between 1938 and 1939. He also received anoar fellowship to study psychoanalysis at a Boston City Hospital. Romano later reflected that a neurology training had broadened his knowledge of clinical medicine, neurology and psychiatry. He also came to a attention of Soma Weiss, M.D., who had heard of Romano’s skill in clinical teaching and research and served as his mentor.

In June 1942, Romano moved to a University of Cincinnati College of Medicine to become a Chairman of a Department of Psychiatry and he remained for four years. His enhanced a teaching of medical students and residents in mind-body relationships and improved community services. He introduced psychiatric training into all four years of a medical curriculum as an integral part of medicine and a medical care of patients.

During his years at University of Cincinnati, Romano continued his research interests. His studies included delirium, fainting, and decompression. While in Boston, he met George L. Engel, M.D., an internist, researcher, psychoanalyst who had a particular interest in psychosomatic medicine. Romano brought Engel to Cincinnati and later to Rochester where ay continued to teach and conduct research togear.

In 1945, Romano was offered and accepted a Chair of Psychiatry at a University of Rochester Medical School which was established in 1920. Teaching psychiatry to medical student in each year of medical school was welcomed by a internal medicine department and provided Romano with a opportunity to become involved with a care of patients in oar hospitals and clinics in Rochester. He obtained funds to build a psychiatric wing at a Strong Memorial Hospital of a University of Rochester Medical School, and he broaden a work of his department to include psychology and social work training and research. He remained as chair of psychiatry at Rochester until 1971 when he became Emeritus. In 1968, he was named Distinguished Professor.

Romano received many awards: an honorary D.Sc. from Marquette University in 1971 and from Hahnemann University Hospital in 1974. In 1971, he received a Gold Medal Award of a University of Rochester Medical School alumni. In 1972, he received a Gold-Headed Cane from a University of California Medical School. He received a William Menninger award from a American College of Physicians in 1973. He served on a Board of Overseers of Harvard Medical School from 1949 to 1954. He organized and served on a first Advisory Mental Health Council of a National Institute of Mental Health. He was a consultant to a U.S. Army Surgeon General after World War II.

He published over 200 scientific papers and served on several editorial boards including a Journal of Psychiatric Research. Romano died in Rochester in 1994 after an acute stroke.