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The highest and most prestigious honor that The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) can bestow on any scientist is the William Allan Award. This honor is awarded each year in memory of William Allan to a scientist who has had far-reaching and substantial scientific contributions to the field of human genetics and who has thus demonstrated a sustained period of productivity over their lifetime. William Allan was a physician, an educator, and one of the early pioneers of American human genetics. It is a special treat for me today to introduce to you the 2013 recipient of this award: Aravinda Chakravarti.

In 1954 in Calcutta, Aravinda was born the third son in a family who placed a high value on the importance of education. He was a particularly precocious child but even at a young age never shied away from voicing his opinion. He received his Bachelor of Statistics in 1974 from the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, and immigrated to the United States, where in 1979 he received his Ph.D. while working with Masatoshi Nei at the University of Texas. From 1985 to 1993, Aravinda was a faculty member of the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh; he joined the faculty of Case Western Reserve University in 1994 and later the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2000. He is currently the director of the Center for Complex Disease Genomics of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and a professor of medicine, pediatrics, and molecular biology and genetics at Johns Hopkins.

Aravinda’s contributions to science have shown a remarkable breadth and depth. He has made seminal contributions to the discovery of the gene associated with cystic fibrosis,¹ to the characterization of one of the first genomic disorders (Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A),² and to our fundamental understanding of the patterns of linkage disequilibrium^3,4 and genetic variation.⁵ His work on Hirschsprung disease has highlighted the importance of genetic variation irrespective of class (common or rare), type (point or structural mutation), or location (coding or noncoding).^6–9 It has served as a remarkable model for gaining insight into the genetic basis of complex disease. His unique contributions have stemmed from his recognition of the power of combining population genetics with advances in genomic technology to solve problems of medical genetics.

His guiding principles have always been straightforward: “The fields of human and medical genetics simply cannot exist without a fundamental understanding of genetic variation.”¹⁰ He has firmly believed that understanding the nature and pattern of this genetic variation is the key to unlocking the potential power of our field. He recognized early on that sequencing is the ultimate genetic map and that systematic high-throughput sequencing and genotyping are the keys to understanding the genetic architecture of human disease. He predicted that the 21^st century would belong to our field once these were achieved, that technologies focused on characterizing the patterns of genetic variation would make our species the “model organism” for understanding disease, and that our next task should be directed toward determining how that genetic variation leads to biology.

His contributions have gone far beyond his own research. Aravinda has always had a clear view of the big picture and has played a critical role in catalyzing and shaping many of the initiatives that have transformed our field over the last 30 years. Such initiatives include the Human Genome Project, the HapMap Project, and the 1000 Genomes Project. His commitment to ASHG and the field of human genetics at large has been exemplary. He was a member of the Board of Directors from 1996 to 1998 and the Awards Committee in 2002 and was president of ASHG in 2008; he has been a long-standing editor of the journalGenome Research and co-editor ofAnnual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics since 2004; and he has served on numerous national and international advisory boards over the last 20 years. The opinion of few human geneticists has been held in such high regard. If you ever organized a meeting, Aravinda was the one person you would want to be present. Gregarious by nature, Aravinda would catalyze discussion and propel an idea to the next level. Continuing on long after a session would end, conversations would often move to the pub and beyond. More than just being a visionary, he has recognized the importance of getting down into the trenches and sorting out the details.

Although he is a prolific scientific writer, some of you might not know that one of his earliest works was a cookbook published in 1978:Not Everything We Eat Is Curry: A Bengali Guide to Indian Cuisine. Aravinda has a deep and profound sense of the history of the field of human genetics. His heroes are numerous—R.A. Fisher, Sewal Wright, J.B.S Haldane—and he has a passion for reading and owning their original works. Juxtaposing Aravinda’s sense of history is his strong conviction that the future of our field lies in the hands of the younger generation. Not surprisingly, he has a long and productive track record of mentorship. As of 2013, he has mentored over 20 Ph.D. students, 32 postdocs, 12 Master’s students, and numerous undergrads and clinical fellows. Many of his former students and former postdocs, who are in the audience today, are now leaders in their own right and active members of ASHG. Although he did not always agree with his trainees, I was always impressed that he made a conscious effort to stop and listen to their point of view. One of the highlights of those working in his lab was the Friday “beer hours,” where he would invite his lab to go to the local pub to discuss science and society.

In closing, permit me to share my own personal anecdote regarding Aravinda. Although I was never his student or postdoc trainee, I have always regarded Aravinda as one of the most influential mentors of my scientific career. When I joined the faculty of Case Western Reserve University in 1997, there were in fact two: Hunt Willard and Aravinda Chakravarti. Although the advice given from these two was often diametrically opposed, I was deeply appreciative of their different perspectives. Aravinda in particular was persuasive. I have always been impressed with his knack for placing one’s research into a broader scientific context and for identifying the inherent flaws or weaknesses in a proposal. There is a unique charm and wit to Aravinda’s arguments—he would often start a discussion with “That’s fine, but can I tell you something?” or “There are two issues here!” You would then brace yourself for a long discussion. Inevitably, when I would reflect on the advice given, I would realize that there were many, many more than just two issues—occasionally one but more often three, four, or five important points. Whenever Aravinda had something to say, it required a multifactorial analysis.

On behalf of ASHG, let me thank you for your scientific contributions, your insight, and your leadership over the years. Your passion for human genetics has added color and enrichment to our science. You have been an inspiration and an example to an entire generation of young scientists and educated an older generation on the power of statistics and the population-genetics framework. Your commitment to integrating population genetics, genome technology, and medicine has transformed our field. Ladies and gentleman, please join me in welcoming the 2013 recipient of the William Allan Award: Aravinda Chakravarti.

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