School of Medicine and Missouri Cures for
“The Genetics of Being Jewish”
with international guest speaker Dr. Karl Skorecki
JCC Staenberg Family Complex • Arts and Education Building
2 Millstone Campus Drive
JEWISH FEDERATION
Robert Millstone, Chair
Patricia Croughan and Lee Wielansky, Campaign Co-Chairs
Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer
Ruth L. Lederman, Vice President and Director of Development
Jessica Litwack, Senior Development and Communications Associate
*This is a scientific seminar. This activity is being sponsored by Washington University School of Medicine, Continuing Medical Education. Washington University is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Washington University designates this live educational activity for a maximum of 1AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate
with the extent of their participation in the activity.
About Dr. Karl Skorecki
The only child of Holocaust survivors, Karl Skorecki was born and educated in Toronto, where he received his MD degree from the University of Toronto in 1977 with the Gold Medal for highest overall standing in all courses. Between 1977-1984, he pursued postgraduate clinical and research training in internal medicine, nephrology, and molecular biology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
In 1984, Skorecki returned to the University of Toronto, serving as Director of Nephrology and professor of medicine, pediatrics, and clinical biochemistry. In January 1991, on the eve of the First Gulf War, Skorecki came with his family to the Weizmann Institute of Science on sabbatical, after which came the decision to immigrate.
In 1995, Skorecki joined the staff of Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology’s (the Technion) Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine in Haifa. Between the years 1995-2005, he served as Director of Rambam’s Nephrology Department.
Prof. Skorecki is currently Director of Medical and Research Development at Rambam and Director of the Rappaport Research Institute of the Technion. He conducts research in human molecular genetics and stem cell biology.
Skorecki’s interest in population genetics began with a series of research studies tracing patrilineal genealogies in the Jewish priesthood and shared ancestries of Diaspora Jewish communities.
Using a similar approach, Skorecki’s other research findings have shown that the Druze population of northern Israel represents a contemporary snapshot of the diversity of Near Eastern populations in antiquity. Combining population genetics and evolutionary medicine, his team also identified a genetic locus powerfully associated with common forms of kidney disease and hypertension affecting millions of people of African ancestry. Skorecki’s work in stem cells has led to the development of a novel experimental platform for understanding cancer cell growth, paving the way for a new approach to personalized cancer care.
Prof. Skorecki and his wife, Linda, have five children and thirteen grandchildren, all of whom live in Israel.
It is evident to me, after reading Dr Ostrer and Dr Skorecki published research paper, as well as Dr Ostrer’s book and the varius news articles written about the book and the research, that both Dr Ostrer and Dr Skorecki are very personally involved with the issue they are studying and should have recused themselves from inlovement is this research. There is a definite sense of bias towards the subject which could taint any findings, as well as a conflict of interest in regard to monetary gain from book sales on this subject which to prove to be a confound to achieving accurate conclusions. I think anyone concerned with proper scientific protocal and disciplined methodology would agree.