Harry M. Rose

Harry Melvin Rose(May 30, 1906, inNiles, Ohio– November 4, 1986, inMeredith, New Hampshire) was an American physician andmicrobiologistwhose laboratory at Columbia University developed an accurate diagnostic test forrheumatoid arthritisin 1948.The test became known as the Rose-Waaler or Waaler-Rose test, since it was independently developed by both Rose and the Norwegian bacteriologistErik Waaler.Rose was among the first recipients of theGairdner Foundation International Awardfor his work in developing the test.

Rose attendedYale University,then went to medical school atCornell University Medical College,receiving his medical degree in 1932. He came toNew York Presbyterian Hospitalas an intern in 1938 and received a faculty appointment at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1940 as an assistant in medicine, assigned to Department ofBacteriology.With the outbreak ofWorld War II,Rose served on theArmed ForcesEpidemiologicalBoard and performed research ontropical diseasesfor the United States government. In 1952, Rose was appointed John E. Borne Professor and chair of the Department of Bacteriology atColumbia University.He changed the name to the Department ofMicrobiologyto better reflect the ongoing research in the department.

In addition to his research on rheumatoid arthritis, Rose studiedantibioticmechanisms andvirusesand contributed toinfluenza vaccinedevelopment. He served aseditor-in-chiefof theJournal of Immunologyand was appointed a fellow of theAmerican College of Physiciansand theAmerican Medical Association.He was elected a member of theNational Academy of Sciences.

Rose retired from Columbia University in 1973 and moved toSandwich, New Hampshire,where he recertified as adiplomateininternal medicineand continued to practice medicine until 1984.