At 4 years old, Charis Eng was captivated by her uncle’s career as a physician—an early fascination that wound up shaping her future. By age 16, she had already enrolled at the University of Chicago, marking the start of a journey that would eventually lead her to become a pioneering figure in medical genetics.
Now, the Case Western Reserve University community is mourning the loss of Eng, professor and vice chair of genetics and genomic sciences, who died last month after a battle with cancer. She was 62.
Following her undergraduate career, Eng earned her MD and PhD from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital. She received training in medical oncology at Harvard University’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, as well as in laboratory-based human cancer genetics at the University of Cambridge and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom.
In 1995, Eng joined Dana-Farber as assistant professor of medicine, and in 1999, she was recruited by The Ohio State University as associate professor of medicine and director of the Clinical Cancer Genetics Program. There, she was promoted to professor and division director, and was conferred the Klotz Endowed Chair before being recruited by Cleveland Clinic in 2005.
Eng served as chair and was the founding director of Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute, and she was the founding director and attending clinical cancer geneticist of the institute’s clinical component, the Center for Personalized Genetic Healthcare. At CWRU, she was a professor and vice chair of the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences at the School of Medicine, and a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Zhenghe Wang, chair of the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, said Eng’s legacy in genetics is profound—and is characterized by her trailblazing research, compassionate patient care, and dedication to training and mentoring the next generation of scientists and clinicians.
“Dr. Eng’s groundbreaking discovery of PTEN germline mutations in Cowden syndrome patients revolutionized the clinical genetic management of these patients,” Wang explained.
“The condition, now known as PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS), is associated with a high incidence of breast, thyroid, and other cancers and is the most common genetic cause of autism spectrum disorder,” Wang continued. “Dr. Eng led a renowned multidisciplinary PHTS clinic that drew patients from around the world.”
Tony Wynshaw-Boris, who worked with Eng in various capacities since the early 2000s, said she was “incredibly smart and insightful” and it was always a delight to spend time with her because he “always learned something from her.”
“Charis’ influence was profound in so many ways, including the highest levels of research, building specialty clinics for patients in clinical genetics and cancer, and finally in training the next generation of researchers and clinicians,” said Wynshaw-Boris, the James H. Jewell MD ’34 Professor of Genetics.
Although Eng was known to be proud of all of her accomplishments, Wynshaw-Boris believes she was particularly proud of the role she had in training and mentoring at all levels: graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, clinical residents/fellows and junior faculty. For her dedication to her trainees, Eng received multiple mentorship awards, including the Doris Duke Distinguished Scientist and American Cancer Society Professorship, as well as the American Medical Association’s Women’s Physicians Mentorship Recognition and the American Medical Women’s Association’s Exceptional Mentor award.
Eng’s hard work at the bench and the bedside garnered international acclaim for her discoveries to improve patient outcomes and quality of life. She held 17 major administrative and leadership positions over her career and received over 100 research and clinical awards and appointments.
A scientific symposium honoring Eng’s life and legacy will be held at Cleveland Clinic in the fall.
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