Emanuel Wolinsky
Born: September 23, 1917
Died: January 13, 2012
Married: Marjorie Claster Wolinsky
Children: Douglas, Peter
Chiefly known for: Manny was a patient at the Trudeau Sanitorium from 1941-1943. He met and married fellow patient Marjorie Claster Wolinsky. He worked as a reasearch scientist in Saranac Lake, on the forefront of discovering the cure for TB. The Sanatorium closed, and Manny and Marjorie left in 1958.
In 2011, Dr. Wolinsky was honored in the Hall of Honor of MetroHealth, which serves the medical needs of the Greater Cleveland community. See article
He contracted tuberculosis in 1941, just before he graduated from Cornell Medical School. He "cured" at Trudeau Sanatorium. Starting in 1943, while continuing his treatment, he started working at the Trudeau Laboratory. Over the next ten years he wrote a number of articles that gained international attention.
When Trudeau closed in 1956, he moved to Cleveland where he established the first Division of Infectious Diseases at what is now the MetroHealth Medical Center and became a professor of medicine and pathology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. His colleagues described him as a brilliant clinical diagnostician who excelled at both patient care and research.
In 1986, Dr. Wolinsky was awarded the Trudeau Medal for his contributions to the understanding of diseases caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria. His landmark article on this particular strain is still considered relevant in the 21st century and serves as a foundation for continuing research on how to manage diseases caused by these organisms. In 1995 he was presented the Louis Weinstein Award for the best clinical article; the award was later renamed the Emanuel Wolinsky Award. Other honors included the Kaiser Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Maurice Saltzman Award from Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, March 19, 1954
Dr. E. Wolinsky Heads S.L. Concert Society
Dr. Emmanuel Wolinsky was elected president of the Saranac Lake Concert Society at its annual meeting head last night in the Hotel Saranac. Mrs. James Loeb is vice president, Mrs. Wesley Depp secretary and Mrs. Philip Pratt treasurer. Elected to the Board of Directors were Mrs. Gordon Meade, retiring president; Mrs. Gordon Dunn, of Lake Placid; Dr. James Raleigh, of Sunmount; Miss Evelynn Brannen, of Tupper Lake, and Mrs. M. Benero, Mrs. Irving Altman, Dr. Carl Gronemeyer, Mrs. C. Baird, Mrs. Jacques DeMattos, Mrs. Nadja Slack and Dr. F. Klemperer, all of Saranac Lake.
Dr. Wolinsky appointed Miss Loretta Leonard, Dr. Klemperer, Mrs. E. Wolinsky and Dr. Gronemeyer to the program committee. Mrs. Loeb and Mrs. Meade were appointed co-chairmen of the annual membership campaign which will be held late in the Summer.
A poll showed that, of the concerts given last season, the Amadeus Quartet was enjoyed most by the membership. Beveridge Webster, pianist, received the second largest number of votes.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, June 4, 1956
Dr. Wolinsky to Leave for Cleveland in Fall
Dr. Emanuel Wolinsky, associate director of the Trudeau Laboratory, has accepted a position with the Western Reserve Medical School and will move to Cleveland next Fall, it was learned today.
Dr. Wolinsky, who has been Dr. William Steenken’s principal assistant in the bacteriological laboratory specializing in tuberculosis, will become an assistant professor of medicine at Western Reserve and will organize and head his own laboratory in the reserve division of the Cleveland City Hospital.
Dr. Wolinsky told The Enterprise this morning that the position had been offered to him almost six months ago. He added that the opportunities it opened up for the broadening of his medical work were such that he could not afford to turn it down.
“It was a tough decision to make,” Dr. Wolinsky said, “both for Mrs. Wolinsky and myself. To leave Bill Steenken and my other associates at the laboratory, and all our friends and associations here, will be more difficult than I can find words to express.” Dr. and Mrs. Wolinsky live in Trudeau. They have two children, Douglas, aged 5 and Peter, 3.
Dr. Wolinsky graduated from Cornell University in 1938 and from the Cornell Medical School in 1941. He came to Trudeau for his health for the first time in 1941 and worked in the laboratory for a time in 1942.
He left here shortly thereafter and did two years of residency at the New York Hospital. However, he returned to Trudeau in 1945 and that year again began working in the laboratory and has been with it ever since.
Mrs. Wolinsky began coming to Trudeau in 1939. The Wolinskys’ were both patients at Trudeau when they met in 1945 and they were married the next year.
Dr. Wolinsky is the president of the Saranac Lake Medical Society, vice president of the Jewish Community Center, and past president of the Saranac Lake Concert Society.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, May 20, 1986
Former Trudeau Sanatorium researcher wins 1986 Edward L. Trudeau Award
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dr. Emanuel Wolinsky who worked at Trudeau Sanatorium in the 1940’s and 1950’s in Saranac Lake, has received the 1986 Edward Livingston Trudeau Medal from the American Lung Association — the Christmas Seal People.
Dr. Wolinsky, of Beachwood, Ohio and who still visits the Saranac Lake area in the summers, is Professor of Medicine and Pathology at Case Western Reserve University and Director of Microbiology and former Chief of the Infectious Disease Division at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital in Cleveland.
He was honored for more than four decades of “outstanding contributions to pulmonary research that have added enormously to our understanding of diseases caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria.” The award was established in 1926 to honor a founder of the American Lung Association and its first president. It is awarded annually for major scientific contributions to the control, prevention or treatment of lung disease.
Dr. Wolinsky’s early work was conducted at the Trudeau Sanatorium, where, starting in 1942 shortly after graduation from the Cornell University Medical School, he played a key role, along with William Steenken, in the introduction of effective antimicrobial agents for the treatment of tuberculosis.
From 1942 to 1956, the Wolinsky and Steenken team was at the forefront of evaluation of tuberculosis treatment agents.
In 1956, Dr. Wolinsky moved to the Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital. There, he made the research contributions for which he is best known today, dealing with the nontuberculous mycobacteria.
His 25 publications in this field include a landmark state-of-the-art review published in “American Review of Respiratory Diseases” which remains the definitive review in the field.
In addition to his research and clinical activities, he has been an outstanding teacher, both of microbiology and clinical medicine, at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, the American Lung Association said in presenting the award.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, January 17, 2012
Dr. Emanuel Wolinsky
CLENELAND — Dr. Emanuel Wolinsky, a pioneer in the research and treatment of tuberculosis, passed away on Jan. 13, 2012, at age 94.
Known to his friends and colleagues as Manny, he contracted tuberculosis just prior to graduating from Cornell Medical School in 1941. He “took the cure” at the Trudeau Sanatorium in Saranac Lake. In 1943, while recuperating, he worked at the Trudeau Laboratory. At this small laboratory, he spent the next 10 years participating in the exciting research that led to the successful drug treatment for tuberculosis. His many articles garnered international recognition.
Trudeau closed in 1956, and Manny and his family moved to Cleveland, to what is now MetroHealth Medical Center, where he established the first Division of Infectious Diseases. He became a professor of medicine and pathology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He emphasized the importance of having young doctors learn how to use microscopes and examine specimens by themselves. His colleagues described Manny as a brilliant clinical diagnostician who excelled at patient care and research. He was renowned for his detailed and thorough investigations into the causes of infectious diseases. He left no stone, or microbe, unturned! Dr. Wolinsky trained house staff for a period spanning four decades. Colleagues and former residents still describe him as an outstanding mentor and role model, and one of the most respected teachers at the hospital. Scores of residents in his program went on to leadership positions in hospitals across the country and in high-ranking positions within the U.S. Public Health Service.
Dr. Wolinsky was recognized many times for his significant contributions to the field of microbiology. In 1986, he was awarded the Edward Livingston Trudeau Medal for his enormous contributions to the understanding of diseases caused by nontuberculous mycobateria His landmark article on this particular strain is still considered relevant in the 21st century and serves as a foundation for continuing research on how to manage diseases caused by these organisms.
Dr. Wolinsky was presented the Louis Weinstein Award for the best clinical article in 1995. This award was later renamed the Emanuel Wolinsky Award. The Emanuel Wolinsky Award is given yearly to the best article selected by the editors of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. Other honors included the Kaiser Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Maurice Saltzman Award from Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation. Dr. Manny was inducted into the MetroHealth Medical Hall of Honor in October 2011.
Manny loved his morning bowl of oatmeal, fishing in the Adirondacks, professional tennis, grilling lamb chops, the symphony, bow ties, sailing his sunfish on Lake Kiwassa and his grandchildren. He remained an unwavering Cleveland sports fan through even the longest droughts. After retiring, he continued to study the medical journals, even after his vision deteriorated. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marjorie, sons Douglas (Anne) and Peter (Marcia), and three grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at Berkowitz-Kumin-Bookatz on Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. Friends may contribute to the Cleveland Sight Center, University Circle, 1909 East 101st Street, Cleveland, OH 44106.