Year: 2024
Type: other
Abstract: Dr Charis Eng, MD, PhD, the Sondra J. and Stephen R. Hardis Endowed Chair in Cancer Genomic Medicine and the founding director of the Genomic Medicine Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, passed away on August 13, 2024, after a courageous battle with metastatic breast cancer. Charis's influence was profound in so many ways, including numerous contributions to cancer genetics/genomics by performing at the highest levels of research, building specialty clinics for patients in clinical genetics and cancer, and finally in training the next generation of researchers and clinicians. Her imprint on Human Molecular Genetics was essential. Charis’s groundbreaking discovery of PTEN germline mutations in Cowden syndrome patients revolutionized the clinical genetic management of these patients. The condition, now known as PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS), is associated with a high incidence of breast, thyroid, and other cancers and is the most common genetic cause of autism spectrum disorder. Dr Eng led a renowned multidisciplinary PHTS clinic that drew patients from around the world. Her prolific research, with over 400 peer-reviewed publications, has left an indelible mark on the field. Following her undergraduate career at the University of Chicago (where she enrolled at the age of 16), Charis earned her MD and PhD from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital. She received training in medical oncology at Harvard University’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, as well as in laboratory-based human cancer genetics at the University of Cambridge and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom. In 1995, Charis joined Dana-Farber as assistant professor of medicine, and in 1999, she was recruited by The Ohio State University as associate professor of medicine and director of the Clinical Cancer Genetics Program. There, she was promoted to professor and division director, and was conferred the Klotz Endowed Chair before being recruited by Cleveland Clinic in 2005. Charis served as chair and was the founding director of Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute, and she was the founding director and attending clinical cancer geneticist of the institute’s clinical component, the Center for Personalized Genetic Healthcare. At CWRU, she was a professor and vice chair of the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences at the School of Medicine, and a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. Befitting her remarkable career and contributions to cancer genetics/genomics, Charis received numerous prestigious awards and honors, including election to the National Academy of Medicine, the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and fellowship in the AAAS. Her accolades include the Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award, the ATA Van Meter Award (2005), the Ernst Oppenheimer Award of The Endocrine Society (2006), the American Cancer Society John Peter Minton, MD, PhD Hero of Hope Research Medal of Honor (2006), the James Ewing Lecturer of the Society of Surgical Oncology (2014), and the AACR-WICR Charlotte Friend Memorial Lecturer (2014). Although Charis was certainly proud of all of her accomplishments, she was particularly proud of the role that she had in training and mentoring at all levels: graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, clinical residents/fellows and junior faculty. For her dedication to her trainees, Charis received multiple mentorship awards, including the Doris Duke Distinguished Scientist and American Cancer Society Professorship, as well as the American Medical Association's Women's Physicians Mentorship Recognition and the American Medical Women's Association's Exceptional Mentor award. Charis made career-long contributions to Human Molecular Genetics as an author, member of the Editorial Board, and as Executive Editor since 2021. Charis promoted change where progress was needed to increase the profile of Human Molecular Genetics and was always full of new ideas for the review issues using her huge breadth of knowledge in genetics. On taking up the role as Executive Editor, she introduced topic editors which greatly increased the efficiency of handling manuscripts and involved the members of the editorial board more directly. Harry Orr and Eric Shoubridge can attest to her fairness in decisions and her dedication to the scientific community. She worked hard to stay involved in the Journal as long as possible and was able to rely on Harry and Eric in the late stages of her illness. Authors and editors alike will attest to her commitment to the pursuit of high-quality academic publishing. Charis’s legacy in genetics is profound, characterized by her pioneering research, compassionate patient care, and dedication to training and mentoring the next generation of scientists and clinicians. Human Molecular Genetics was extremely fortunate to have had Charis as Executive Editor and she has left the Journal in a strong position to build from going forward. She will be sorely missed. A scientific symposium honoring Dr Charis Eng's life and legacy will be held at Cleveland Clinic in the fall.
Source: Human Molecular Genetics
DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddae140
Authors: Kay Davies, Anthony Wynshaw-Boris
Institutions: University of Oxford, Case Western Reserve University
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4402749317