Douglas Coleman ‘54

Following his graduation from McMaster University with a B.Sc. in Chemistry, Dr. Douglas Coleman earned his M.Sc. in 1956 and Ph.D. in 1958 in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin. He joined the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbour, Maine in 1958 as assistant staff scientist and became assistant director (research) in 1969 and interim director in 1975. He retired in 1991 from his position as senior staff scientist.

Dr. Coleman’s groundbreaking research at the Jackson Laboratory in the 1960’s and 1970’s pinpointed the genetic cause of diabetes and obesity. His research revealed that weight control is a metabolic, not a psychological problem. This discovery earned him international recognition and has continued to serve as the foundation for discoveries relating to diabetes and obesity. Among these was the discovery in 1994 of the hormone leptin by Rockefeller University researcher, Dr. Jeffrey Friedman. Dr. Friedman has described Dr. Coleman as “a scientist’s scientist. He has made several observations that in time have changed physiology and medicine.”