KURT HIRSCHHORN

HIRSCHHORN--Kurt, MD. It is with great sorrow that we note the passing of Kurt Hirschhorn, MD, a legendary pediatrician, medical geneticist, and cytogeneticist. A member of the Mount Sinai community for 50 years, Dr. Hirschhorn served as the Herbert H. Lehman Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Pediatrician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine (now the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) from 1977 until 1995. He established one of the first laboratories in the United States for clinical chromosome studies, where he and co-researcher Herbert L. Cooper, MD, first defined what later became known as Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a condition that causes malformations in many parts of the body due to a genetic chromosome deletion. His subsequent groundbreaking research effort, spanning the spectrum from cytogenetics to immunology, was immensely productive, culminating in the publication of more than 400 articles. Dr. Hirschhorn received many national and international honors, among them membership in the National Academy of Medicine as well as the highest awards in pediatrics and human genetics. Mount Sinai has lost a cherished colleague, a dedicated scientist, an exceptional mentor, advisor, and teacher, as well as a lifelong friend to many. We express our deepest condolences to the Hirschhorn family--including his wife, Rochelle; three children, Joel, Lisa, and Melanie; and grandchildren--and ask that you keep them in your thoughts during this difficult time. Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System Lisa M. Satlin, MD, Chair, Jack and Lucy Clark Department of Pediatrics, Herbert H. Lehman Professor of Pediatrics, Icahn Mount Sinai, and Pediatrician-in-Chief, Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital Bruce D. Gelb, MD, Dean for Child Health Research, and Director and Gogel Family Professor, The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn Mount Sinai