Sarah Tishkoff, Genetic History of Africa; Implications for Human Evolution and Medicine

May 7, 2010

Sarah Tishkoff, Associate Professor with a joint appointment in the Departments of Genetics in Medicine and Biology in Arts and Sciences, will present the topic “Genetic history of Africa; implications for human evolution and medicine.” Dr. Tishkoff, a leading global expert in human genetics, is a PIK University Professor and holds the David and Lyn Silfen chair.

“Sarah Tishkoff’s scholarship in human genetics and the nature of genetic diversity underscores the leaps of knowledge that we can make by path-breaking discoveries that integrate previously distinct fields of study,” said President Gutmann at the time of her appointment as PIK Professor in 2008. Tishkoff works primarily in Africa, where she has compiled the world’s most extensive DNA database, representing more than 7,000 Africans from more than 100 ethnic groups. Her research examines how genetic variations and genetic diversity can affect a wide range of practical issues, including, for example, differences in human susceptibility to disease, metabolism of drugs and evolutionary adaptation.

Dr. Tishkoff has won a Packard Career Award and was named one of Popular Science Magazine’s “Brilliant 10” American scientists in 2003. Her research has been featured recently in a number of newspaper and journal articles including Science, Nature, New York Times, Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, LA Times, Washington Times, US News and World Report, The Economist, National Geographic, Popular Science, Science News, Discovery News, American Scientist, Scientific American, and Newsday, among others. Tishkoff taught at the University of Maryland from 2000 to 2008. She received her Ph.D. in genetics from Yale University and her B.S. in anthropology and genetics from the University of California, Berkeley.

The luncheon is at 11:45 A.M. on Friday, May 7, 2010, in the Lenape Room of the University Club.