Person
Cheek, Donald Brook (1924 - 1990)
- Born
- 21 April 1924
North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia - Died
- 6 March 1990
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia - Occupation
- Medical scientist and Paediatrician
Summary
Donald Cheek's career was divided between Australia and North America. Early research was into pink disease in infants, the incidence of which fell rapidly after teething powders containing mercury were withdrawn from the market. From his time in North America his research focused on extra-cellular water in the body and electrolyte metabolism, and growth disorders in children. His book Human growth: body composition, cell growth, energy and intelligence (1968) established his international reputation. Cheek's other ground-breaking book was Fetal and postnatal cellular growth: hormones and nutrition (1975). In collaboration with the CSIRO Division of Human Nutrition Cheek studied the nutrition of Aborigines in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Later research was into zinc deficiencies associated with bowel disease among the Yalata community in the western region of South Australia. Cheek was a founding member of the Society for Perinatal Research and the first Australian elected to the Society of Paediatric Research.
Details
Chronology
- 1947
- Education - MB BS, University of Adelaide
- 1947 - 1950
- Career position - Resident Medical Officer, Royal Adelaide and Adelaide Children's Hospitals
- 1949 - 1951
- Career position - Research Fellow, University of Adelaide
- 1951
- Award - Rotary International Science Foundation Fellowship
- 1951 - 1952
- Career position - Research Fellow, Department of Paediatrics, Yale University, U.S.A.
- 1952 - 1953
- Career position - Physician, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- 1953
- Education - MD, University of Adelaide
- 1953 - 1956
- Career position - Staff member, Children's Hospital Research Foundation, University of Cincinnati, Ohio
- 1955
- Career position - Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A.
- 1955
- Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A.
- 1957 - 1958
- Career position - Assistant (later Associate) Professor in Paediatrics, University of Texas (Southwestern) Medical School, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.
- 1959 - 1962
- Career position - Senior Research Fellow and consultant, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne
- 1961
- Career position - Director of Research, Department of Electrolyte Metabolism, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne
- 1962 - 1968
- Career position - Head, Division of Growth, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, U.S.A.
- 1967
- Award - Borden Research Prize, American Academy of Pediatrics
- 1968 - 1973
- Career position - Professor of Paediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.
- 1973 - 1980
- Career position - Director, Royal Children's Hospital Research Foundation, Melbourne, and Professor of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne
- 1977
- Award - Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
- 1980 - 1988
- Career position - Visiting Professor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Adelaide
Related entries
Published resources
Book Sections
- Hetzel, Basil S., 'Cheek, Donald Brook (1924-1990), Medical Scientist and Paediatrician' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 17: 1981 - 1990 A-K, Diane Langmore, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2007), pp. 206-207. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cheek-donald-brook-12310. Details
Journal Articles
- Bundey, John, 'Donald Brook Cheek MB BS, MD, DSc, FRACS', Medical Journal of Australia, 154 (1991), 202. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21536818. Details
- 'Cheek, Donald Brook (19240421-19900306)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1469269. Details
Helen Cohn
Last modified: 4 April 2017