Obituary for Professor Harry K. Genant, MD

Abstract

On January 14, 2021, theMusculoskeletal Radiology community lost one of their giants, Harry K. Genant, MD, Professor emeritus of the Department of Radiology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) (Fig. 1). Professor Genant shaped the field of musculoskeletal radiology with brilliance, enthusiasm, and remarkable energy for nearly half a century. He was a leader who touched the careers of many radiologists and researchers at UCSF and throughout the world. His generosity, mentorship, and support towards trainees and colleagues were unique and will be thoroughly missed. To highlight Professor Genant’s substantial contributions to the field, I would like to focus on two publications. In 1977, he published the paper “Quantitative bone mineral analysis using dual energy computed tomography” in Investigative Radiology [1], which was revolutionary at this time. Through his vision, the field of musculoskeletal radiology moved from subjective image interpretation to quantitative analyses. Over the following decades, quantitative imaging of bone and joint disorders gained increasing importance, most recently documented by two central initiatives of the ESR, the European Imaging Biomarkers Alliance (EIBALL), and the RSNA, the Quantitative Imaging Biomarker Alliance (QIBA). Another notable accomplishment of Professor Genant was the development of a grading system for osteoporotic spine fractures published in 1993 [2], which has been used globally as a reference standard to better characterize osteoporosis, one of the major threats to our aging population. Professor Genant’s goal has always been to develop scientific tools, which would directly benefit patients, could be shared by the global medical community, and advanced the field of musculoskeletal imaging. Harry K. Genant, MD, was born in Freeport, IL, in 1942; he received his medical degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, in 1967, he completed his internship at Johns Hopkins University in 1968, and he trained as a resident in medicine and radiology at the University of Chicago, where he was Chief Resident and Assistant Professor in Radiology during the years 1968–1974. Dr. Genant joined the faculty of the University of California, San Francisco, in 1974 as Chief of Musculoskeletal Radiology, where he remained for more than 30 years. As Professor of Radiology, Medicine, Epidemiology, and Orthopedic Surgery, he shaped the national and international reputation of UCSF’s musculoskeletal radiology. During his tenure at UCSF, Dr. Genant founded the Osteoporosis and Arthritis Research Group (OARG) in the Department of Radiology and served as its Executive Director until his retirement in 2004. This group rapidly grew to over 130 members, including physicians, scientists, and research associates, who produced field-defining research that impacted clinical care for osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and other orthopedic disorders. Over several decades, OARGwas the leading research institution in the world for imaging osteoporosis and arthritis and attracted many talented researchers from around the world, who worked under Dr. Genant’s guidance and affectionately called him “Harry.” Many of the international researchers moved on to leadership roles in their home countries, in particular in Europe and Asia. In 1998, long before Silicon Valley became known for its entrepreneurial spirit, Professor Genant co-founded Synarc (now Synarc-BioClinica), a global contract research organization specializing in management of quantitative imaging and biomarkers in large, multicenter, multinational, pharmaceutical drug trials. Professor Genant first served as a Board Member and later Chairman Emeritus for SynarcBioClinica. At the time of his passing, he was a Senior Consultant. Professor Genant was also an exceptional clinical radiologist and highly prolific academic researcher. His academic career was characterized by prodigious productivity. He was editor or co-editor of more than 40 books and author or coauthor of more than 300 chapters or invited articles, over 600 * Thomas M. Link [email protected]