Kurt Hirschhorn (May 18, 1926 – November 25, 2022)[1] was an Austrian-born American pediatrician, medical geneticist, and cytogeneticist who identified the chromosomal defects that underlie Wolf–Hirschhorn syndrome.
[1] Fleeing anti-Semitic persecution, the family relocated to Switzerland, then to the US, briefly in New York City before settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
[1] Hirschhorn was Professor of Pediatrics, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, and Medicine Chairman Emeritus of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
In 1995, Hirschhorn received the William Allan Award in human medical genetics.
[3] Wolf–Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS), caused by a chromosomal abnormality, is characterized by typical craniofacial features in infancy consisting of "Greek warrior helmet appearance" of the nose (the broad bridge of the nose continuing to the forehead), microcephaly, high forehead with prominent glabella, ocular hypertelorism, epicanthus, highly arched eyebrows, short philtrum, downturned mouth, micrognathia, and poorly formed ears with pits/tags.