Yuet Wai Kan
Yuet Wai Kan, MD, pioneered the use of DNA to diagnose human diseases. He was the first to use fetal DNA to diagnose sickle cell anemia and thalassemia, and he discovered DNA polymorphism, which is now extensively used for genetic analysis.
Dr. Kan received the William Dameshek Prize in 1979 and the Henry M. Stratton Medal in 1980 for his research, and he served as ASH president in 1990. Currently, Dr. Kan is the Louis K. Diamond Professor of Hematology at the University of California - San Francisco. He focuses his research on the use of gene and cell therapy to treat sickle cell anemia and thalassemia.