ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine Announces Four New Directors: Arthur L Beaudet, MD; Laurel Estabrooks, PhD; Laura Furmanski, PhD; and Anthony Gregg, MD

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American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics

Aug 19, 2015, 11:51 ET

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine (www.acmgfoundation.org) recently announced that four new directors have been elected to join its Board of Directors. The ACMG Foundation is a national nonprofit foundation dedicated to facilitating the integration of genetics and genomics into medical practice. The board members are active participants in serving as advocates for the Foundation and for advancing its policies and programs. The new board members will serve from August 1, 2015 to March 31, 2017.

The newly-elected ACMG Foundation directors are:

Arthur L. Beaudet, MD, FACMG. Dr. Beaudet is the Henry and Emma Meyer Professor in the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at the Baylor College of Medicine where he served as Chairman of the Department from 2004 to 2014. He received his MD from the Yale University School of Medicine, completed his residency at Johns Hopkins and a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. He is board-certified in Clinical Molecular Genetics, Clinical Genetics and Pediatrics. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine, he is past president of the American Society of Human Genetics. He was chair of the Genetic Advisory Committee of the Texas Department of Health from 1979-1985, served on the Maternal and Child Health Research Committee of the NICHD from 1989-1992, and the March of Dimes Clinical Genetics Conference Advisory Committee from 1988-1995. Dr. Beaudet also has served on a number of editorial boards including the American Journal of Human Genetics, the Journal of Pediatrics, American Journal of Medical Genetics and Human Gene Therapy. Dr. Beaudet has received a number of honors and awards including the Colonel Harland Sanders Award for Lifetime Achievement in Genetic Research and Education, the William Allan Award of the American Society of Human Genetics, and the Michael E. DeBakey Excellence in Research Award.

Laurel Estabrooks, PhD, FACMG. Dr. Estabrooks is Vice President of Genetics Business Development for SCC Soft Computers. A seasoned senior executive in laboratory operations and genetic testing, Dr. Estabrooks was previously with Genzyme Genetics from 1994-2010. She received her PhD in Genetics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is board-certified in Clinical Cytogenetics and Medical Genetics. She served on the Laboratory Quality Assurance Committee of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.

Laura Furmanski, PhD. Dr. Furmanski is Senior Vice President, Bioinformatics at QIAGEN. Dr. Furmanski joined QIAGEN in June 2014 from McKinsey & Company, where she was a partner in their Silicon Valley office and led a broad range of projects involving med-tech and life science companies. She has a distinguished track record of working with experts in advanced medical fields, of delivering revenue growth through scalable business models and of bringing unique insights across the healthcare value chain. Dr. Furmanski has a BA in Psychology from Stanford University as well as a PhD and an MA in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience from UCLA. She is also on the Board of Resurge International, a nonprofit that provides reconstructive surgical care and builds surgical capacity in developing countries through educational programs and outreach.

Anthony Romaine Gregg, MD, FACOG, FACMG. Dr. Gregg is Professor and Chief, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Florida Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He received a BS degree in Biology magna cum laude at Loyola University in Chicago and completed his MD and residency at the Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Gregg completed a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the University of Iowa and a post-doctoral fellowship in Medical Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Gregg has held faculty positions in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. Most recently, he was the Director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the Medical Director of the Division of Genetics at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. Dr. Gregg is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and Clinical Genetics. He has received numerous awards for excellence in research and has co-authored more than thirty peer-reviewed articles and seventeen textbook chapters. He has served on the board of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and on several committees of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

"These experienced leaders bring additional talent to the ACMG Foundation and will help advance the important work of the Foundation to ensure that genetic and genomic discoveries are translated into better health for all," said Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD, FACMG, president of the ACMG Foundation. "We are indebted to both our existing and new directors for their dedication to the mission of the Foundation. Each board member brings important new perspectives and experience and I look forward to working with them to realize the Foundation's goals."

The complete list of the ACMG Foundation board of directors is at www.acmgfoundation.org.

About the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine
The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine (www.acmgfoundation.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a community of supporters and contributors who understand the importance of medical genetics and genomics and genetic counseling in healthcare. Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation supports the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics' mission to improve health through the practice of medical genetics and genomics by raising funds to promote the profession of medical genetics and genomics to medical students, to fund the training of future medical geneticists, to support best-practices and tools for practicing physicians and laboratory directors, to promote awareness and understanding of our work in the general public, and much more.

Contact Kathy Beal, MBA
ACMG Media Relations,
301-238-4582
[email protected]

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SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics