George Libman Engel
George Libman Engel was an influential American psychiatrist, born on December 10, 1913, in New York City, and he passed away on November 26, 1999, in Rochester, New York. He is best known for developing the biopsychosocial model of health, which emphasizes the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors in understanding health and illness. Engel's educational background includes undergraduate studies in chemistry at Dartmouth College and a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. His early skepticism toward psychoanalysis evolved as he engaged in collaborative research, which led him to integrate psychological insights into traditional medicine.
Throughout his career, Engel held prominent positions at institutions like the University of Cincinnati and the University of Rochester Medical Center, where he significantly influenced medical education by incorporating psychiatric training into the curriculum. He was a pivotal figure in the American Psychosomatic Society and served as the editor of its journal, Psychosomatic Medicine. Engel's work, particularly an influential article published in 1977, laid the groundwork for a holistic approach to patient care that remains relevant in health psychology today. His legacy endures in the modern medical field's emphasis on patient-centered care and interdisciplinary collaboration, reshaping how health and wellness are perceived.
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George Libman Engel
- Born: December 10, 1913; New York, New York
- Died: November 26, 1999; Rochester, New York
Overview
George Libman Engel was an American psychiatrist who proposed that biological, psychological, and social factors affect health, illness, and healing. This view is known as the biopsychosocial health model or psychosomatic medicine.
Engel completed undergraduate coursework in chemistry at Dartmouth College in 1934 and received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1938. He then interned in New York at Mount Sinai Hospital. Here, Engel worked among physicians who incorporated psychosomatics into the clinical treatment of patients. However, at this point, he was skeptical of psychoanalysis and related medicine. Instead, he maintained that diseases could be treated with purely physical means, despite the practices of his colleagues.
After interning at Mount Sinai, Engel became a research fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School and a graduate research assistant at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. While working in Boston, he met a psychiatrist, John Romano, who invited him to collaborate on research studies and later to join both the medicine and psychiatry departments of the University of Cincinnati. Engel accepted the invitation, which ultimately led to Engel’s interest in integrating psychology and traditional medicine, a union that came to be known as psychosomatic medicine.
In 1946, Engel again followed Romano, this time to the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, where he spent the majority of his career. During this time, Engel held dual appointments in the departments of psychiatry and medicine. He modified his institution's classic medical school curriculum by introducing psychiatric training. At the same time, he expanded his own knowledge of psychoanalysis and trained in it. By the mid-1950s, Engel was considered a significant figure among psychosomatic researchers.
Engel had a prominent role in the American Psychosomatic Society, which promotes understanding the connection between biological and psychological factors in human health. Engel edited the journal of this organization (Psychosomatic Medicine) for some time, and he eventually published several articles and books on the relationship between emotional well-being and disease. Because of his contributions at the University of Rochester Medical Center, the institution became a leading center of research and education in psychosomatic theory.
Eventually, Engel’s idea of integrating psychological studies with classic medicinal techniques was termed the “biopsychosocial model.” He discussed the topic at length in an article published in Science in 1977. This concept remains particularly important in the field of health psychology.
Engel received several awards and other honors for his contributions to the field, including recognition from institutions such as the American College of Physicians and the American Psychiatric Association.
In the decades following his death, Engel's legacy lay in how his contributions shaped the way the modern medical field views health and wellness. The biopsychosocial model introduced a more patient-centered approach to medicine, encouraged collaboration between medical disciplines, and promoted what has been considered a holistic approach to medicine.
Bibliography
Cohen, Jules, and Stephanie Brown-Clark. John Romano and George Engel: Their Lives and Work. University of Rochester Press, 2010.
Dowling, A. Scott. "George Engel, M.D. (1913-1999)." American Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 162, 2005, psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.162.11.2039. Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.
Engel, George L. "The Need for a New Medical Model: A Challenge for Biomedicine." Science, vol. 196, no. 4286, 1977, pp. 129–36, doi:10.1126/science.847460. Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.
"George Libman Engel, M.D." University of Rochester Medical Center, www.urmc.rochester.edu/libraries/miner/rare-books-and-manuscripts/archives-and-manuscripts/faculty-collections/the-papers-of-george-allen-papers-engel.aspx. Accessed 8 Sept. 2024.
Karl, Suzanne R., and Jimmie C. B. Holland. "The Roots of Psychosomatic Medicine II: George L. Engel." Psychosomatics, vol. 56, no. 6, 2015, pp. 630-33, doi:10.1016/j.psym.2015.07.012. Accessed 8 Sept. 2024.
Sadigh, Michael. "Development of the Biopsychosocial Model of Medicine." AMA Journal of Ethics, Apr. 2013, journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/development-biopsychosocial-model-medicine/2013-04. Accessed 8 Sept. 2024.