The national and international genetics communities were saddened to learn of the death of Robin Winter on January 10^th 2004 at the age of 53 from cancer. He was Professor of Clinical Genetics and Dysmorphology at the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, and was a clinical geneticist at the forefront of the subject. His contributions to medical genetics were outstanding.

Robin was born in 1950 in Liverpool, into a medical family - his father practised as a consultant radiologist. Whilst at University College London Medical School, Robin undertook an intercalated degree in genetics at the Galton Laboratory. It was a very exciting time - beginning to understand the paradigms of "classical" genetics in the light of developing molecular biology. In his later career, Robin developed and used the synergy between these to identify the cause of human disorders, commanding the respect of both medical and scientific colleagues.

After House Officer and Senior House Officer appointments, he was a visiting fellow at the Department of Human Genetics, Richmond Virginia, USA for 18 months where he studied under Walter Nance. On his return he took up a senior registrar post, and then was appointed clinical geneticist at the Kennedy Galton Centre at Northwick Park in 1981. In 1992 he moved to the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital, where he subsequently became Professor of Dysmorphology and Clinical Genetics.

Robin had a remarkable clinical gift: the ability to delineate, describe and recall faces and patterns of malformations and then to store these in his memory for comparison with patients he met in the clinic. Colleagues throughout the world sought his clinical opinion and his collaboration in research projects. He also had the gift of being able to explain clinical and scientific information to patients, whom he greatly enjoyed meeting, and to enthuse his trainees.

He contributed almost 300 papers to medical journals on a wide breadth of topics, was an editor of the journal, Clinical Dysmorphology, and co-author of the London Dysmorphology and Neurogenetics Databases. He also created a database to aid the mapping of genes for human malformations through synteny with those in the mouse.

He was honoured all over the world, including an invitation to be a Distinguished Speaker at the ASHG meeting. He was awarded the Baschirotto Prize by the European Society of Human Genetics in 2001 and the Maria Vilma and Bianca Querci Foundation Prize for paediatric research. He was an active member of the council of the Clinical Genetics Society, and whilst President in 2001-2003 set in train a review of its activities in response to the professional and scientific challenges of the changing practice of clinical genetics.

Robin had a very British sense of humour. It was characteristic that during his final illness he recounted and minimised his experiences in witty emails to friends and colleagues. This wit was also evident at the Dysmorphology Club meetings at the Institute of Child Health in London. It is difficult to imagine future meetings without him but it is a challenge to us all to make sure his legacy is built upon.

He spoke warmly of his family which was a source of great happiness: his wife Joan and children, Amy and Henry, in both of whose many achievements he took great pleasure. Amy has followed him into the medical profession. The whole genetics community send them our condolences.