Education award named for Arno Motulsky

The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Education has been renamed the Arno Motulsky-Barton Childs Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Education. The ASHG established the award in 1995 to recognize outstanding contributions to human genetics education. Barton Childs received the award in 1996 and Arno Motulsky in 1999.

Dr. Motulsky established the Division of Medical Genetics in 1957 and is considered a pioneer in the field of medical genetics. He is known as the founder of the field of pharmacogenetics (the role of genetic variation in response to drugs). A renowned educator and mentor, he has trained numerous postdoctoral fellows, most of whom are now full professors at prestigious institutions around the world. One of his former post-doctoral fellows is Dr. Joseph Goldstein, a Nobel Prize winner.

His textbook, Vogel and Motulsky’s Human Genetics, has been considered essential reading in the field since its first edition in 1982 and the 4th edition published in 2010, and he was a case study in the book: Good Mentoring: Fostering Excellent Practice in Higher Education, by Jeanne Nakamura and David J. Shernoff (2009).

“Counting myself as one of Dr. Motulsky's mentees, I am so pleased to see him receive this recognition for both his text book and his meaningful contributions to many, many trainees. His generosity in investing in more junior scientists has certainly impacted many careers.”
-Dr. Gail Jarvik, head of the Division of Medical Genetics