2015 ASHG Awards and Addresses

Abstract

ThehighestandmostprestigioushonorthatTheAmericanSociety of Human Genetics (ASHG) can bestow on any sci-entist is the William Allan Award. This honor is awardedeach year in memory of William Allan to a scientist whohas had far-reaching and substantial scientific contribu-tions to the field of human genetics and who has thusdemonstrated a sustained period of productivity over theirlifetime. William Allan was a physician, an educator, andone of the early pioneers of American human genetics. Itis a special treat for me today to introduce to you the 2013recipient of this award: Aravinda Chakravarti.In1954inCalcutta,Aravindawasbornthethirdsoninafamily who placed a high value on the importance of edu-cation. He was a particularly precocious child but even at ayoung age never shied away from voicing his opinion. Hereceived his Bachelor of Statistics in 1974 from the IndianStatistical Institute, Calcutta, and immigrated to theUnited States, where in 1979 he received his Ph.D. whileworking with Masatoshi Nei at the University of Texas.From 1985 to 1993, Aravinda was a faculty member ofthe Department of Human Genetics at the University ofPittsburgh; he joined the faculty of Case Western ReserveUniversity in 1994 and later the Johns Hopkins UniversitySchool of Medicine in 2000. He is currently the directorof the Center for Complex Disease Genomics of theMcKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and aprofessor of medicine, pediatrics, and molecular biologyand genetics at Johns Hopkins.Aravinda’s contributions to science have shown aremarkablebreadthanddepth.Hehasmadeseminalcontri-butions to the discovery of the gene associated with cysticfibrosis,