The 105th Anniversary of the Birth of V. A. McKusick (1921–2008)

The article presents an outline of the life and scientific contribution of Victor Almon McKusick (1921–2008), an outstanding medical geneticist, professor at Johns Hopkins University, and honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The scientist's life path is traced from his childhood to his long-term work at Johns Hopkins University, where he progressed from a cardiologist to the founder of an independent Department of Medical Genetics (1957). Four key achievements are highlighted that justify recognizing McKusick as the "father of genetic medicine": the establishment of medical genetics as an independent clinical discipline with a system of education and international courses; pioneering work in human gene mapping; leadership in the Human Genome Project and the creation of the HUGO organization; and the development of the catalog of Mendelian inheritance in humans (MIM/OMIM). The author's personal recollections of a training course in Bar Harbor (1989) and medical genetic counseling at the William Osler Hospital are presented, along with information on how the experience of organizing genetic care in the USA influenced the opening of the first Genetic Clinic in Russia, in Tomsk (1994).