Hopkins genetics pioneer dies at 86

McKusick was often referred to as the father of medical genetics By Chris Emery | Sun reporter Dr. Victor A. McKusick, a Johns Hopkins professor who pioneered the field of medical genetics and spent his career exploring how a person's genes predisposed them to medical disorders, died of cancer today at his home in Towson. He was 86. Often referred to as the father of medical genetics, Dr. McKusick was widely credited with laying the foundations for understanding the links between inheritance and disease. His meticulous research on rare genetic disorders, an intellectual curiosity he was discouraged from pursuing early in his career, led to the modern methods of classifying and treating inherited diseases. "Today we lost a giant, " Dr. Edward D. Miller, dean and chief executive officer of Johns Hopkins Medicine, said today in... [read full story]