Memorial of Kenneth R. Warren, 1943–2024

Abstract

Kenneth R. Warren passed away on August 21, 2024, after a brief bout with cancer. Ken was 81 years old and lived a fulfilling life of service to others. He was committed to the alcohol research community and was one of the nation's most steadfast and consequential supporters of research on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Indeed, his career spanned the entire half century encompassing the first description of fetal alcohol syndrome, the first public health actions to prevent FASD, and the enormous growth of research on FASD mechanisms, prevention, diagnosis, and interventions. Remarkably, Ken played a major role in this progress.

A graduate of the City College of New York, Ken went on to earn his doctorate in biochemistry from Michigan State University in 1970. He served as postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles, and at the University of Michigan Mental Health Research Institute before joining the Federal government at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in 1974. Two years later, he began his nearly 40-year career at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). He rose rapidly through the ranks, serving as Health Science Administrator in the Division of Extramural Research, Executive Secretary of Alcohol Biomedical Review, and Chief of the Biomedical Research Branch. His career culminated in appointments as Deputy Director and then Acting Director of NIAAA, a position he held from 2008 until 2014. He retired as Deputy Director in 2015.

Ken was both a chronicler of NIAAA's past and an advocate for its future. As Acting Director of NIAAA, he shepherded the institute through a tumultuous period when efforts to reorganize the NIH threatened the existence of NIAAA. In 2012, a decision was reached to preserve NIAAA as an independent institute and to undertake a functional, rather than structural, integration, which resulted in the establishment of the Collaborative Research on Addiction at NIH (CRAN) the following year.

For 40 years, Ken championed public awareness of the impact of FASD on individuals, families, and communities in the United States and globally. Fetal alcohol syndrome was identified in 1973, and just 4 years later, Ken authored the first health advisories warning against the use of alcohol during pregnancy (1977). He then authored the initial (1981) and updated (2005) Surgeon General's Advisories on Alcohol and Pregnancy. Among his many papers, three on FASD are especially notable: Each has over 500 citations, placing them in the top 1% of cited papers in the field (Prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in 4 US communities, JAMA, 2018; Updated clinical guidelines for diagnosing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, Pediatrics, 2016; and Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: An overview, Neuropsychology Review, 2011).

Ken was also the “unofficial” historian of FASD, publishing historical perspectives on the legal, medical, and public policy aspects of the disorder. Among his best-known articles is Alcohol-related birth defects—The past, present and future (Warren & Foudin, 2001), which provided one of the most insightful histories and overviews of the field. Still relevant today is his fascinating account of the historical context of prenatal alcohol exposure (Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: where science, medicine, public policy and laws collide, Warren & Hewitt, 2009).

Ken was instrumental in developing national and international collaborations in the field of alcohol research. He championed international research collaborations on FASD in South Africa, Finland, Russia, Korea, and Ukraine. Without Ken's involvement, some of the most influential research on FASD prevalence and interventions in South Africa might never have occurred. With Dr. Faye Calhoun of NIAAA, he proposed the creation of the Collaborative Initiative on FASD (CIFASD), an international consortium, now in its 21st year, that conducts both clinical and basic research on FASD.

Ken's invaluable contributions to alcohol research and policy in general and FASD research specifically were recognized with numerous awards, including the 1983 Public Health Service's Superior Service Award, the 1994 Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) Seixas Award, the 2002 Henry Rosett Award, the 2012 James H. Tharp Award, and the 2014 RSA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2008, Ken received the National Organization on FAS Excellence Award and was inducted into the Daschle Hall of Fame. His advocacy and scientific expertise were rewarded with plenary presentations on six continents.

Ken was a warm and genuine person who was beloved by family, friends, colleagues, and the FASD community. He shared and returned their love many times over. His intelligence and skill were harmonized with humor, selflessness, compassion, and grace. He played saxophone professionally as a young man and loved music. He shared his musical gifts at the opening of an International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcohol (ISBRA) meeting in Japan. Ken enjoyed traveling and interacting with scientists and policymakers from around the world. Each of us treasures fond memories of international travel with Ken: sailing in Sydney Harbor with Clive Harper; a ride to Ken's hotel in a Ferrari, courtesy of Mauro Ceccanti; an idyllic moment in Australia in the company of a parrot; Ken's game efforts speaking French at an INSERM meeting; touring the bamboo forest in Kyoto; and dinners at so many restaurants in so many countries of the world.

Leonardo da Vinci said that life well-spent is long. Ken cherished the simple pleasures of a life well spent. He leaves an enduring legacy and will be sorely missed.