Andrew Kasarskis, PhD
- PROFESSOR | Genetics and Genomic Sciences
Research Topics:
Epigenetics, Genetics, Human Genetics and Genetic DisordersAndrew Kasarskis, PhD, Executive Vice President and Chief Data Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, is responsible for supporting the patient care, education, research, and innovation missions of the Mount Sinai Health System, which includes the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His mandate is to create value from the data assets of the large and diverse organization. From 2011 to 2019, Dr. Kasarskis built the Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, now the Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology as Co-Director with Eric Schadt, PhD. At the same time, he served as Vice Chair of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. As a Professor in the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and the Icahn Institute, Dr. Kasarskis continues to lead collaborative projects that seek to identify biomarkers from a systems understanding of biology and develop new therapeutics. His research focuses on creating and applying technology to diverse areas, including pathogen surveillance, autoimmune conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and asthma, viral infections, and primary prevention of chronic disease. Dr. Kasarskis has two decades of experience managing research and technology development projects in software engineering, drug development, human and mouse genetics, and other biological research applications. Prior to joining Mount Sinai, he was Senior Director at Pacific Biosciences, where he developed medical and research applications for the company’s Single-Molecule Real Time (SMRT) sequencing technology. He served as Scientific Director of Genetics at Merck Research Laboratories and contributed to the launch of Sage Bionetworks, a not-for-profit medical research organization that advances human health through by making science more open, collaborative, and inclusive. Additionally, Dr. Kasarskis worked at Stanford University to develop genome databases, including the Gene Ontology, the Stanford Microarray Database, and the Saccharomyces Genome Database. He was also Senior Product Manager for genome databases and software at DoubleTwist, Inc., a genomic information and bioinformatics analysis company. His published work includes book chapters and peer-reviewed articles spanning the fields of genetics, genomics, systems biology, bioinformatics, infectious disease, sleep, and several human disorders. Dr. Kasarskis holds a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from UC Berkeley as well as a BS in Biology and a BA in Chemistry from the University of Kentucky.
Multi-Disciplinary Training Areas
Genetics and Data Science [GDS], Neuroscience [NEU]Physicians and scientists on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai often interact with pharmaceutical, device and biotechnology companies to improve patient care, develop new therapies and achieve scientific breakthroughs. In order to promote an ethical and transparent environment for conducting research, providing clinical care and teaching, Mount Sinai requires that salaried faculty inform the School of their relationships with such companies.
Dr. Kasarskis did not report having any of the following types of financial relationships with industry during 2019 and/or 2020: consulting, scientific advisory board, industry-sponsored lectures, service on Board of Directors, participation on industry-sponsored committees, equity ownership valued at greater than 5% of a publicly traded company or any value in a privately held company. Please note that this information may differ from information posted on corporate sites due to timing or classification differences.
Mount Sinai's faculty policies relating to faculty collaboration with industry are posted on our website. Patients may wish to ask their physician about the activities they perform for companies.