David E. Comings, MD

David E. Comings, M.D., is being recognized by Continental Who’s Who as a Pinnacle Professional in the field of Internal Medicine and Genetics.

A retired doctor of internal medicine and medical genetics, Dr. Comings has dedicated over 50 years to the advancement of his field. He is renowned for his service as the Chief of Medical Genetics at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA. Dr. Comings is board certified in internal medicine and clinical genetics and has authored 488 research articles, abstracts, and books on chromosome structure, molecular and behavioral genetics. He was the recipient of multiple grants from the National Institute of Health between 1967 and 1998. His particular interest since 1980 was in Tourette’s syndrome, the subject of 3 of his books. Dr. Comings’ research into Tourette’s syndrome suggested it was a spectrum disorder genetically associated with other behaviors including ADHD, conduct, oppositional defiant and anxiety disorders and inherited as a polygenic disorder. These conclusions were considered radical at the time but subsequent works by many others have confirmed them. Unwilling to be impeded by the reluctance of some to publish these new ideas, Dr. Comings set up his own publishing company, Hope Press. In his retirement, Dr. Comings established the Comings Foundation, which is concerned with the pervasive effects of climate change and global warming. Bird photography has been a particular interest in his retirement, taking him and his wife to many places around the world (www.comingsbirds.com).

Beginning his college education at the young age of at the 16, at the University of Illinois, Dr. Comings enrolled in medical school at the age of 19 receiving his Doctorate of Medicine in 1958 from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Comings completed his internship and two years of internal medicine residency and a year of a Fellowship in Hematology (under Stephen Schwartz, MD.) at Cook County Hospital, Chicago. He then and went on to serve two years in the Army, as an Internist, at Madigan General Hospital, Tacoma, Washington. Following his Army service, he completed 2 years of a Fellowship in Human Genetics with Dr. Arno G. Motulsky, at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Dr. Comings was the editor of the American Journal of Human Genetics (1978 – 1986), President of the American Society of Human Genetics (1988), Associate Editor of Genomics 1987- 1991), member of the NHI Genetics Study Section (1974-1978), Member of the Scientific Advisory Board, March of Dimes (1977 – 1993) and served on numerous other boards and commissions. In 1982 he was on the Current Contents of 1,000 most quoted scientists. Dr. Comings’ latest book, Did Man Create God? is an extensive study of science, faith, spirituality and religion (www.Didmancreategod.com)

Dr. Comings is affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Federation for Clinical Research, American Society for Cell Biology, American Society for Clinical Investigation, New York Academy of Sciences and the Association for American Physicians. For more information please visit, www.thecomingsfoundation.org.