A tribute from Genome Canada Board Chair, Dr. Elizabeth Douville, and President and CEO, Dr. Rob Annan.
The genomics community in Canada and around the world is saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Tom Caskey, a pioneer in genomics research and education, on January 13 at age 83. In Canada, Dr. Caskey contributed to early genomics research as a member of Genome Canada’s Board of Directors from 2002 to 2009 and as Chair from 2009 to 2012.
Dr. Caskey helped set the strategic direction for early genomics research in Canada by Chairing the first two Genome Canada research competitions in 2000 and 2001. He spent considerable time in Canada over the years, mentoring a generation of genomics researchers and leaders and contributing to the establishment of Genome Canada. These contributions helped set a course for genomics research in Canada and were recognized with his induction to the Royal Society of Canada in 2010.
For more than 50 years, Dr. Caskey has undertaken ground-breaking research on the genetic basis of human diseases and their molecular diagnosis. Until his passing, he was professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. He founded and built Baylor’s highly respected genetics program, known today as the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics. The Baylor program has ranked No. 1 in National Institutes of Health funding in the U.S. for the past 10 years.
Dr. Caskey’s recent publications address genome-wide sequencing to help prevent adult-onset diseases. His discovery of a simple PCR test for DNA evidence at crime scenes is now standard practice among police services in much of the world. At the time of his death, Caskey was using genomics, metabolomics and proteomics in combination to advance the field of precision medicine in his work with Human Longevity, a company he co-founded with Dr. Craig J. Venter.
He was a member of the editorial boards of numerous leading medical and scientific journals, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Science, and the Encyclopedia of Molecular Medicine.
Dr. Caskey is remembered for his leadership in genetic research, generous mentorship to the next generation of scientists and friendship to many – both at his home in the United States as well as in Canada and several other countries.
He is remembered with fondness and gratitude by many friends and colleagues in the Genome Canada community and across Canada. On behalf of the staff and Board at Genome Canada, we send sincere condolences to Tom’s family, friends and colleagues.