Victor McKusick (1921-2008) is widely considered to be the founding father of medical genetics. An innovative clinician, medical educator, and researcher, he established the first medical genetics program and clinic at Johns Hopkins in 1957, conceived and compiled Mendelian Inheritance in Man, an annually updated catalog of human phenotypes (first published in 1966 and now published online), and conducted landmark studies of hereditary disorders in the Amish. He was an early advocate of mapping the human genome, and was closely involved in the early years of the Human Genome Project, and served as founding president of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO). In 1997 in recognition of his lifelong contributions he received the Lasker Award for Special Achievement in Medical Science.

The Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions is the repository for the Victor A. McKusick Papers, which range from 1921 to 2008. The collection contains correspondence, research data, photographs, lecture notes, financial records, reprints, manuscripts, audio tapes, committee minutes, slides, family papers, and interview transcripts.

As part of its Profiles in Science project, the National Library of Medicine has made available online, in collaboration with the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, a digitized selection of the Victor McKusick Papers. This website provides access to the portions of the Victor McKusick Papers that are now publicly available. Individuals interested in conducting research using the full collection of Victor McKusick Papers should contact the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

This Profile is designed to introduce you to the various phases of McKusick's scientific career and professional life. Narrative sections available from the navigation bar under "The Story" focus on McKusick's life and major scientific contributions.

Researchers can search the digitized items using the Search box or browse all Documents and Visuals in the collection by selecting "Collection Items" from the navigation bar.