As a native Clevelander and dual alumnus of Case Western Reserve University who returned to the university in 2013, Anthony “Tony” Wynshaw-Boris, MD, PhD (GRS ’84, biochemistry; MED ’87), has long understood the impact CWRU has as an education and research powerhouse—not only in Northeast Ohio, but around the world.
And through his roles as physician-scientist and educator, he himself has helped make the university the force it has become today. That’s why Wynshaw-Boris has been honored as a Distinguished University Professor.
Wynshaw-Boris, the James H. Jewell MD ’34 Professor of Genetics, is an elite leader both in the biomedical sciences field and at CWRU School of Medicine. He has served as president of the American Society of Human Genetics, executive editor of Human Molecular Genetics, chair of the American Society of Human Genetics Government and Public Advocacy Committee, and on multiple National Institutes of Health councils and advisory boards.
At the university level, Wynshaw-Boris has served on the Council of Basic Science Chairs, the Committee on Biomedical Research, the Medical Scientist Training Program Advisory Council, the School of Medicine/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Affiliation Advisory Panel and the University Provost Search Committee.
During his decade as chair of the School of Medicine’s Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Wynshaw-Boris revitalized the department by growing annual funding, recruiting new faculty members, reviving the Center for Human Genetics and expanding the Genomics Core.
Wynshaw-Boris has mentored countless graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty members to help launch their careers. While he’s been a meaningful mentor to many, he also believes that each and every trainee has played an equally vital role in his own career, providing unique strengths and perspectives that have bolstered his work.
“Trainees have been integral to my scientific success,” he said. “I have devoted a substantial effort to optimize the training experiences and career development of my trainees. My approach is to foster their development as independent scientists, physicians or physician-scientists.”
As a researcher, Wynshaw-Boris has been a trailblazer in human genetics for decades. His studies of the pathophysiology of neurogenetic disorders—such as autism, ataxia telangiectasia and lissencephaly—have helped identify novel therapies through the creative use of animal models and inducible pluripotent stem cell models.
“Dr. Wynshaw-Boris is one of the most accomplished physician-scientists of his generation,” wrote School of Medicine Dean Stan Gerson, MD, in nominating Wynshaw-Boris. “[He’s] a visionary leader whose impact on science, medicine, education and our institution has been extraordinary. His achievements exemplify the highest standards of scholarship and service that this honor recognizes.”
His election to the National Academy of Medicine this past fall further cements and recognizes his groundbreaking contributions, which have changed our fundamental understanding of human health and disease.
Through all his successes, Wynshaw-Boris has never forgotten his roots here in Cleveland and at the university.
“Being selected as a Distinguished University Professor is immensely gratifying,” shared Wynshaw-Boris. “Since this has occurred in the bicentennial year of Western Reserve Academy and Case Western Reserve University, two formative institutions of mine, it is especially meaningful.”