Gil Omenn

Gilbert S. Omenn (born August 30, 1941) is an American medical doctor and researcher. He currently is the Harold T. Shapiro Distinguished University Professor at the University of Michigan; Professor of Computational medicine & bioinformatics, Molecular medicine & genetics, Human genetics, and Public health; and the Director of the UM Center for Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics. He is the discoverer of Omenn syndrome, a genetic disorder that is fatal in infancy unless treated. and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He interned and did his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Omenn worked with Christian B. Anfinsen at the National Institutes of Health from 1967-1969, doing research as part of military service. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Washington, which he received in 1972.

Career As a fourth-year student, Omenn studied prenatal diagnosis of inherited conditions. He discovered what is now known as Omenn syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by the loss of T-cell function. It is generally fatal in infancy, but some cases have responded to treatment.

In 1971 Omenn joined the faculty of medical genetics at the University of Washington. Omenn worked with the Atomic Energy Commission on international nuclear policy.

As of 1974 Omenn was first appointed to the National Cancer Advisory Board, as an alternate for Frank Press, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Omenn's title was Assistant Director of Human Resources, Office of Science and Technology Policy. During 1977-1981, Omenn worked with the Carter administration, first as an assistant to Frank Press, the President's advisor on Science and Technology Policy, and then as Associate Director in the Office of Management and Budget. He was promoted to a full professorship in medicine in 1979.

In 1981, he was a visiting professor at the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University and the Brookings Institution's first Science, Technology, and Policy Fellow.

In 1982, Omenn became Chair of the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) and then Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Washington, serving from 1982-1997. He continues to be an affiliate professor of the university.

In 1982, Omenn and Elaine Faustman at UW introduced a multi-disciplinary course on Risk Assessment and Risk Management. From 1982-1988, Omen chaired the National Research Council's Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy. From 1994-1997, Omenn chaired the Presidential/Congressional Commission on Risk Assessment and Risk Management ("Omenn Commission").

We are stretching beyond the limits of science to discuss risk. So it is not surprising that scientists disagree on risk estimates or on what should be done, if anything, to reduce those risks. Nevertheless, the public finds such disagreement disconcerting, and the cartoonists mock us!... We need to explain better what is known and what is speculated.– Gilbert Omenn, 1996

Omenn was a founder of the international Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) in 2001, a member of the Council of HUPO's pilot Plasma Proteome Project from 2002 through 2010, and chair of the Human Proteome Project from 2010 through 2018.

Omenn is Past President (2005-2006) and Past Chairman of the Board (2006-2007) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is a longtime director of Amgen Inc. and of Rohm & Haas Company. Omenn served as editor of the Annual Review of Public Health from 1990–1996. As of 2020, he joined the Board of Directors of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH).

In 2012, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Fellowship program created the Gilbert S. Omenn Fellowship, to be awarded in his name. The inaugural Omenn Fellow was Deidra C. Crews.

Awards 1978, Elected Fellow, American College of Physicians 1978, Elected member, Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences 2001, Elected member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences 2004, John W. Gardner Legacy of Leadership Award, White House Fellows Association 2008, Walsh McDermott Medal, Institute of Medicine, for long-term contributions to the IOM and the National Academy of Sciences. 2013, David E. Rogers Award, Association of American Medical Colleges

2026, Philip Hauge Abelson Prize, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Archives Gilbert S. Omenn papers, 1960-1985, University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections