John 'Jack' Gofman. Researcher and Social Activist.: 'Fair-haired Boy' and 'Enemy Within'

John "Jack" Gofman's research career was characterized by skills across disciplines that gave him unique insights and opportunities. He was able to choose the research strategy-laboratory, clinical, or epidemiological-most suited to the state of the problem. But Gofman's curiosity and intensity, his integrity and courage, led to dual reputations-one as a "fair-haired boy," another as a "troublesome crank"-first in atomic science, then in cardiovascular medicine, and finally in radiation energy and health policy. Gofman's earliest success was in the 1940s as a University of California-Berkeley graduate student in physical chemistry with Glenn Seaborg. Using simple laboratory methods he innovated the isolation of radioactive elements ultracentrifugally and determined their fission rates. In 1943 he produced the single milligram of plutonium needed urgently by J. Robert Oppenheimer to confirm its candidacy to power the atomic device that would implode over Nagasaki. As a young medical researcher in the 1950s, Gofman was the first to successfully isolate blood lipoprotein (LP) fractions by simply adding saline solution to serum. This increased its density such that all the LP present would float, then separate into discrete fractions on ultracentrifugation. In pioneer serial studies, Gofman and colleagues explored serum LP distributions in healthy and patient populations, LP responses to contrasting diets, and LP power to predict coronary heart disease risk (CHD). Their findings formed the platform for Brown and Goldstein's Nobel Prize discovery of hepatic low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors, and thus, the mechanism of lipid transport between blood and tissues. Together these provided fuller understanding of the pathogenesis and possible prevention of atherosclerosis. From the 1960s, Gofman reengaged with nuclear science in mutidisciplined studies that found cell damage and health effects of ionizing radiation were proportionate to the dosage. His conclusion that there was "no safe level" of exposure conflicted with "safe levels" recommended by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Eventually, his findings, persistent questioning of policy, and effective advocacy against U.S. atomic energy programs resulted in the loss of both his AEC research funding and his leading national position in radiation and public health. He came to be viewed as "the enemy within." Gofman's research and activism were central to subsequent systemic reviews and constraints to what he called "U.S. adventurism:" in atom bomb testing, with "land engineering" using hydrogen bombs, and in the rapid build-up of nuclear energy for the U.S. electrical grid. Eventually, his body of evidence and recommendations about radiation effects on health were largely corroborated by the National Academy of Sciences and other authorities. They still influence planning for "clean energy" in today's global climate crisis.