Renata Laxova, pioneer in Clinical Genetics, passes away

We lost a pioneer from our Laboratory of Genetics family this past weekend. Former Medical Genetics Professor Emerita Renata Laxova died November 29th, 2020, in Tucson, Arizona. She had moved to Arizona just three weeks ago. For many years, Renata was the head of our Clinical Genetics Unit. A survivor of the Holocaust, she organized statewide clinical genetics services in Wisconsin and played a pivotal role in our Genetics Counseling Training Program. She was a tireless advocate for genetics services in our state and nation. She was a marvelous teacher and a brilliant clinician. As a person, she was generous, charming, and loving. Renata had two daughters: Daniela, who is a physician in Tucson, and Anita, who is Research Program Manager in Pediatrics here at UW-Madison. She will be truly missed by many here, and we know our alumni all over the world who had the honor to work with her.

If you have any fond memories or photos of Dr. Laxova that you would like to share, please don’t hesitate to send them to us at: info@genetics.wisc.edu

Below is Renata talking about the effects of the Holocaust on her and her family: