Dr. José Jordan
Dr. José Jordan of Cuba (1920-2008) was a world-renowned pediatrician and expert in nutrition, growth and development who directed the Cuban National Child Growth Study in the 1970s. Dr. Jordan's research and work with children influenced pediatric medicine both inside and outside Cuba for almost 70 years.
He founded a specialized hospital area to treat children with gastroenteritis and acute respiratory infections, providing specialized care to young children with such disorders in Cuban hospitals. Dr. Jordan also developed an innovative intravenous hydration protocol for the treatment of gastroenteritis. During his medical career, he promoted the use of flame photometry in the monitoring of electrolytic replenishment, a solution with a chemical composition very similar to the one which he recommended to and was ultimately adopted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for similar case management.
Dr. Jordan was a prolific author, having contributed over 20 chapters for textbooks published worldwide, and more than 150 articles that have appeared in international scientific and medical journals and magazines. During his outstanding career Dr. Jordan received numerous awards and distinctions around the world. In 1998 he received the Academic of Merit distinction of Cuba's Academy of Sciences.
He practiced pediatric medicine from 1944 to the end of his life, and he was a Pediatrics professor as well.