Susanne Gollin, a pioneering cancer researcher and cytogeneticist, died at 71

Susanne M. Gollin, professor emerita of human genetics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, died April 6 with her loving family by her side. She was 71.

A respected cytogeneticist and teacher, Gollin pioneered important discoveries in the field of head and neck cancer, including as one of the first researchers to join what is now the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

“Pitt’s School of Public Health lost a giant,” said Dean Maureen Lichtveld. “Dr. Gollin’s contribution and leadership in advancing the science of human genetics will always be an inspiration to all of us and will be a constant inspiration for our future generations of public health scholars.”

Gollin patented the observation that a loss of specific genes along with parallel overexpression of other genes correlates with the development of cancer and resistance to treatment. Her research showed that the presence of these defects could be used both prognostically and as a guide to alternative therapeutics.

As a professor, Gollin mentored students, postdoctoral fellows, colleagues and friends alike, particularly those early in their careers. She was a founding fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the International Academy of Oral Oncology and the Indian Association of Molecular Pathologists. She was also a long-term member of both the Allegheny County Board of Health and the Pennsylvania Cancer Control, Prevention and Research Board.

An ardent sports fan, Gollin served as a longtime faculty representative on the University’s Faculty Athletic Committee.  She and her husband, Lazar, loved all Pitt sports teams — dropping by the University Club for lunch before catching a basketball game was among their favorite pastimes.

Gollin is also remembered for her ready willingness to help others. Among her many charitable activities, she sat on the boards of the Women’s Law Project and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, served as the Highland Park Garden Club program director and was an elected Judge of Elections for her precinct.

Gollin grew up in Lincolnwood, Illinois, the daughter of two physicians. She was a three-time graduate of Northwestern University, where she obtained her undergraduate, master’s and PhD degrees. She conducted her postdoctoral work at the University of Rochester and the Baylor College of Medicine. Before moving to Pittsburgh in the 1980s, Gollin served as a faculty member of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Gollin was a devoted wife to Lazar Palnick and mother to Jacob Palnick. She is also survived by her sisters, Roberta Lottinger and Joan Gollin Gaines, and their families.