Juan Fernandez Sotos MD

Dr. Juan Fernandez Sotos (94) of Upper Arlington passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on May 8, 2022. He is preceded in death by his loving wife of 42 years, Lois; his daughter Linda Perkins; and brothers Lucas, Felipe, Joaquin and Pepe. He is survived by his sister Elisa Quilez; his children; Lisa Collins, John Sotos (Sherri), Lori Wobig (Charles), Chris Sotos, David Sotos (Kristen) and Leigh Thompson (Will). He has 16 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

On May 18, 1927, Juan was delivered into this world by his father, the town physician of the small Spanish town of Tarazona de La Mancha, which was his childhood home. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Medical School of Valencia at the age of 23, and then served in the Spanish military. He was honorably discharged at the age of 26, and without knowing the English language, then immigrated to the United States to continue his medical education. He completed residencies at St. Christopher’s Hospital (Temple University) and Columbus Children’s Hospital (The Ohio State University), followed by a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston. He served at Mass General for several years as an instructor, before accepting a position as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Ohio State in 1963, ultimately advancing to full professor in 1967. He was board certified in Pediatrics, Endocrinology and Nephrology.

Some appointments he held during his 52 years of service to The Ohio State University and Columbus Children’s /Nationwide Children’s Hospital were as follows: Initial medical director of the Clinical Research Center; Chief, Section of Endocrinology & Metabolism; Acting Chief, section of Nephrology and Interim Chairman Department of Pediatrics, 1976-78. He held many academic appointments, served on a multitude of committees and was dedicated to the health and well-being of thousands of patients he was honored to serve. Dr. Sotos was continually involved in research in growth and metabolism and played a pivotal role in the development of specialty labs in endocrinology at Children’s Hospital. His prolific writing resulted in over 100 publications in journals and numerous chapters in books worldwide. He was invited to speak internationally many times and received multiple awards locally and abroad for his superior knowledge and dedication in his field of work. He will be most remembered in his career for Sotos Syndrome, a genetic overgrowth condition in which he first described in 1964. He also contributed to the discovery of several other syndromes.

Dr. Sotos had a tremendous work ethic and dedication to his profession. There was no limit to the time he spent with his patients and for his patients. He took calls day and night for years, attending to their needs in and out of the hospital, saving countless lives. His constant reading and research enabled him to successfully solve the many complex cases for which he was consulted.

Juan was an incredibly selfless and practical person, who was content with basic life necessities, and dedicated to providing his family with any advice or financial support necessary. He instilled in each of his children the importance of attaining a higher education, and supported them in this endeavor by paying for all of the expenses associated with their college and post graduate education.

Dr. Sotos will be sorely missed by his family and friends for his huge heart and giving nature. His unparalleled drive and determination are an inspiration to us all.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held Saturday, May 21 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at SCHOEDINGER DUBLIN, 5980 Perimeter Drive, Dublin. Visitation will immediately follow the service from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations to “Nationwide Children’s Hospital Endocrinology research” can be made.

The family would like to thank Naomi Tokar for her constant support of my father and his family throughout these many years and Ann J., RN, of Capital City Hospice for all her loving care. Please visit www.schoedinger.com to share a special memory of Juan with his family.

Watch webcast for Juan Fernandez Sotos:

https://webcasts.lifetributes.com/1211438