Pamela Sklar
It is with great sadness that we note the passing of our beloved colleague and friend, Dr. Pamela Sklar.
Dr. Sklar was Chair of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) and oversaw the Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology. Dr. Sklar was a brilliant scientist who led a revolution in the study of the genetic basis of mental illness, and a beloved mentor to students and young scientists at ISMMS.
Dr. Sklar's laboratory broke new ground with the discovery that schizophrenia is caused by genetic risk factors that overlap with those for bipolar disorder. Her innovative work won her election to the National Academy of Medicine, as well as the Colvin Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Mood Disorder Research from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics.
We extend our deepest sympathies to Dr. Sklar's husband, Andrew Chess, MD, Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences; Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology; and Neuroscience, at ISMMS; and their children, Michael Sklar Chess and Isabel Sklar Chess. She will be missed. Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and CEO, Mount Sinai Health System Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs; Director, Friedman Brain Institute; Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience
Originally published in The New York Times from Nov. 22 to Nov. 26, 2017
