Kurt W. Kohn

09/14/1930 - 09/28/2025

Dr. Kurt W. Kohn, a pioneering researcher whose work at the National Cancer Institute shaped current chemotherapy drugs, died on September 28, 2025, at his home in Potomac, MD. He was 95.

Dr. Kohn was born in Vienna, Austria in 1930. As a child he escaped Nazi persecution with his family, emigrating to the United States and settling in the Bronx, New York. He attended Bronx High School of Science. He was a key member of the Junior Astronomy Club, a group of students who shared a passion for astronomy and who have become lifelong friends. This included his wife, Elaine Kohn, to whom he was married for over 50 years.

A gifted student, he was recognized in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search before attending Harvard University, where he earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees. He received his medical degree from Columbia University.

He joined the National Cancer Institute in 1957, beginning a career that spanned more than five decades. In 1968, he founded the Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, which he led for nearly 30 years. His research uncovered how certain chemotherapy agents damage DNA, and he developed laboratory methods that became widely used to study how cancer cells respond to treatment. He also mentored, taught, and inspired many scientists who now lead their own research programs.

Dr. Kohn was the author of Drugs Against Cancer: The Search for the Cure, a book that combined science with personal reflection: https://discover.nci.nih.gov/kohn-book-drugs-against-cancer.jsp

Beyond his professional life, he was known for his wide ranging curiosity, especially about astronomy, the nature of consciousness, and evolution. He was also an accomplished pianist. He will be remembered for his warmth and generosity with colleagues, friends, and family.

He is predeceased by his wife, Elaine Kohn and his daughter, Julia Robinson. He is survived by his brother Ben Kohn, his son, Philip Kohn, his granddaughter Melissa Naugle.

Services will be held at Judean Memorial Gardens in Olney, Maryland at 1 p.m. on October 1, 2025. Please contact the family for details on the Shiva. Any donations in his name can be made to Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI.org).