Harry Ostrer

Dr. Harry Ostrer is a geneticist known for his study, writings, and lectures about the origins of the Jewish people. Ostrer is the director of the Human Genetics Program at the New York University School of Medicine.

Education

Dr. Harry Ostrer graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Physics, Course 8) and from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He did a pediatrics residency and a medical genetics fellowship at Johns Hopkins Medical School. Prior to his position at NYU, Dr. Ostrer was a member of the faculty of the University of Florida Medical School in Gainsville, Florida.

Research

Ostrer contends that the Jewish people descend from a Middle Eastern tribe that coalesced approximately 2500 years ago, a time in accordance with biblical accounts of Jewish origins. This tribe fragmented and spread throughout Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but remained endogamous. Dr. Ostrer’s laboratory studies the disease allele markers present in these different Jewish populations. He summarizes the field in a 2001 Nature Reviews article (1). Specifically, Ostrer’s lab explains migrations of Jewish populations by the genetic diseases each population carries.

Ostrer’s research has demonstrated the principles of genetic epidemiology on a very large scale. According to Ostrer:
#If a mutation occurred before or during the Temple period, when all Jews represented one population, such a mutation should be present in all Diaspora Jews (Ostrer has characterize the mutations purportedly present in Roman era Jews.
#If a mutation occurred more recently, then that mutation should only occur in Jewish populations including descendants of the original mutant individual (for example, BRCA2 mutations in Ashkenazi Jews.
#Seeming exceptions to this principle can be explained by admixture with local non-Jewish populations or with distant Jewish populations.

Ostrer currently directs the largest study of Jewish genetics to date, the ‘’Genetic Analysis of Jewish Populations.’’ The goal of this study is to assess the relatedness of Jewish populations across the world. Additionally, Ostrer has begun to generate a Jewish version of the popular HapMap Project. He is working on a book summarizing the genetic history of Jewish populations for a popular audience.

Lectures

Ostrer has lectured on four continents about Jewish genetics. Recently, he has addressed the Jewish Genealogical Society, the New York Academy of Medicine, and the New York Academy of Science.

Press

In addition to his research article publications, Ostrer is frequently consulted by New York Times science reporters Nicholas Wade (4, 5) and Amy Harmon (6) and op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof (7, 8). Furthermore, Ostrer has also authored two genetics books: Essentials of Medical Genomics (2002) and Non-Mendelian Genetics in Humans (1998).

References

1. A Genetic Profile of Contemporary Jewish Populations. ‘’Nature Reviews Genetics.’’ 2, 891-898 (2001) .

2. Mendelian Diseases Among Roman Jews: Implications for the Origins of Disease Alleles. ‘’Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.’’ Vol. 84, No. 12 4405-4409 (1999).

3. The carrier frequency of the BRCA2 6174delT mutation among Ashkenazi Jewish individuals is approximately 1%. ‘’Nature Genetics.’’ 14, 188 - 190 (1996).

4. In DNA, New Clues to Jewish Roots. Wade, Nicholas. New York Times. May 14, 2002.

5. Gene Mutation Tied To Colon Cancers In Ashkenazi Jews. Wade, Nicholas. New York Times. August 26, 1997.

6. As Gene Test Menu Grows, Who Gets to Choose?. Harmon, Amy. New York Times. July 21, 2004.

7. Is Race Real?. Kristof, Nicholas D. New York Times. July 11, 2003.

8. Staying Alive, Staying Human. Kristof, Nicholas D. New York Times. February 11, 2003.

External links to Ostrer projects

* [http://www.med.nyu.edu/genetics/research/jewish_origins.html Genetic Analysis of Jewish Populations]
* [http://www.med.nyu.edu/genetics/research/sex_det.html Genetics of Sex Determination]