Professor Robin Michael Winter 1950-2004: An appreciation
✍ Scribed by Donnai, Dian
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2004
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 70 KB
- Volume
- 128A
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0148-7299
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Robin Winter, one of the most influential forces in the development of the speciality of Clinical Genetics in the United Kingdom and internationally, has died at the early age of 53 years of esophageal cancer. Robin's contribution to dysmorphology in particular has been immense. He delineated many previously unrecognised syndromes, speculated on underlying mechanisms and, as technology developed, initiated programmes of research to identify the genes and pathways involved. He used his unique skills in clinical observation and information technology to the great benefit of the whole genetics community by creating, with his colleague Michael Baraitser, the London Dysmorphology and Neurogenetics Databases. Robin was an ideal colleague and collaborator; he was a perfectionist but completed with good grace all the many tasks he was requested to do. He was modest and gained satisfaction from intellectual challenges and achievements rather than from personal aggrandisement.
Robin came from a medical family in the North West of England and undertook his preclinical Studies at University College London. Before commencing his clinical studies, he took an intercalated B.Sc. course in Genetics at the Galton Laboratory, University College London, where his fascination with genetics began in earnest. He commented that Hans Gruneberg, Gerald Corney, and CAB Smith had influenced him during this time. Following 3 years postgraduate training in medicine and paediatrics, he spent a period as postdoctoral fellow with Walter Nance at the Department of Human Genetics, Medical College of Virginia amongst other things honing his skills in mathematical genetics and poker! He returned to the United Kingdom in 1978 just as the first three training posts in Clinical Genetics in the United Kingdom were established. Robin, Ian Young, and myself were appointed to these posts. As Robin stated, before our time the way to be a Clinical Geneticist was to say you were one! His