In Memoriam: Sean Quigley

Sean Quigley

Sean Quigley ('97, M.S., DEOHS), of Alamogordo, N.M., passed away on May 17, 2009 in El Paso, Texas. His family and friends have established the Friends of Sean Quigley Toxicology Endowed Fund to “honor his memory and affect the lives of many new toxicology students.”  His SPH adviser, Terry Kavanagh, had this to say about Sean:

"Sean Quigley was an integral and respected member of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, both as a graduate student and as a research scientist in the Toxicology Program's Functional Genomics Laboratory.

"For his M.S. thesis work, Sean conducted a series of important studies to establish a method for simultaneously measuring changes in the expression of multiple genes in animal tissues. He applied this technique to study the toxic effects of methylmercury in fetal and adult mouse tissues, and in so doing, discovered that several genes involved in antioxidant defense and cell cycle regulation could serve as sensitive biomarkers of methylmercury exposure. During the time Sean spent in the Functional Genomics Laboratory, he became an expert in gene expression technologies and helped to launch a major program in DNA microarray-based analysis that is still operable in the lab.

"Over the years, Sean developed many close and long lasting friendships among the students, staff, and faculty in our department. He will be sorely missed, especially for his warmth, his inviting smile, and his great sense of humor."

Anyone interested can make a gift to the Friends of Sean Quigley Toxicology Endowed Fund.