Remembering Dr. Warren Sanger

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Remembering Dr. Warren Sanger

Warren G Sanger, PhD, FFACMG, was the Director of the Human Genetics Laboratory from 1979 - 2015.

Warren attended Kearney State College (Kearney, NE) to earn a BS in Biology, followed by an MS in Genetics at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL) in 1969. During his studies, Warren was a Teaching Assistant in both Chemistry and Biology at Kearney State, and in Genetics, Human Genetics, and Histology at UNL.

He returned to Omaha to continue his education here at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and completed his PhD in Genetics in 1974. The following year, at just the age of 30, Dr. Sanger became an assistant professor of pediatrics and joined the newly established Human Genetics Laboratory at the Munroe-Meyer Institute. What follows can best be summarized as the legacy of Dr. Sanger.

Dr. Sanger was a Founding Fellow of the American Board of Medical Genetics (ABMG), dually boarded in Clinical Cytogenetics and PhD Medical Genetics by the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) and the American Medical Association, and a full professor of pediatrics, the Munroe-Meyer Institute, and pathology/microbiology. In addition to directing the laboratory of nearly 70 employees, Dr. Sanger served on countless boards and committees, including the Children’s Oncology Group (Lymphoma Cytogenetics Chair), Lymphoma Study Group, and the Medical Science Interdepartmental Area Graduate Committee. For many years, he was also the director of MMI’s department of Genetic Medicine, overseeing the clinical staff which included six geneticists and nine genetic counselors. Before many laboratories chose to do so, Warren employed genetic counselors as liaisons to fill the expanding needs that intertwine health care providers, laboratory staff, and the families we all work to assist.

Throughout his tenure, Dr. Sanger served as a cytogenetics advisor for several professional organizations within the United States and reviewed manuscripts for many journals. He authored or co-authored nearly 300 publications and book chapters and more than 400 published abstracts and posters. His commitment to education was evident through the sizeable number of MS and PhD graduate students he advised (27), in addition to serving on the MS or PhD committees of more than 100 other students. Under his leadership, five fellows received their degrees in Clinical Cytogenetics. Annually, Dr. Sanger taught three graduate courses and welcomed OB/GYN, Pathology and Pediatric residents to the laboratory for monthly Human Cytogenetics rotations. He was routinely an invited lecturer for graduate courses in Pharmacology, Neurology, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Pathology and various other courses at UNL. Credited with more than 100 presentations, it was not uncommon for him to travel within Nebraska, across the nation and around the globe to provide genetic education.

Memorial Fund

Through your generosity, a gift to this memorial fund celebrates Dr. Warren Sanger's visionary leadership and lifetime of exceptional achievements by supporting genetics at UNMC's Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI).

Online Donations

Mail Donations

Checks may be submitted to the 'University of Nebraska Foundation' and the check memo and/or accompanying cover should direct the gift to the Warren G. Sanger, Ph.D., Memorial Fund #01134190 at the address below. Donors will receive a tax receipt and the family will receive a note that a gift was made in his honor.

Learn more about the NU Foundation here.

University of Nebraska Foundation
2285 S 67th St, STE 200
Omaha, NE  68106