ACMG Foundation Receives Major Gift from Shire to Support Training of Next Generation of Medical Geneticists: $1.65 Million Grant will Fund 10 Training Fellowships

BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine (www.acmgfoundation.org) announced that it has received a $1.65 million commitment from Shire to fund 10 one-to-two year training awards for medical geneticists over the next 3 years through the ACMG Foundation/Shire Laboratory Geneticist Fellowship and Clinical Genetics Residency Awards Program. This is the single largest corporate gift to the ACMG Foundation in its history.

Shire's support of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine will facilitate the funding of 10 genetic fellowships which will help to address the shortage of medical geneticists in the US. The partnership between Shire and the ACMG Foundation will help foster a generation of geneticists around the world who will play crucial roles in the diagnosis and care of patients with rare and common diseases. 

Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD, FACMG, president of the ACMG Foundation said, "This grant represents an investment in the future of medical genetics and genomics. It will not only increase the workforce, but also will help seed the next generation of medical geneticists, who in turn will provide both service and training. The return on investment here will be huge."

"We have reached a critical juncture in terms of the integration of medical genetics into health care," says ACMG Foundation Executive Director, Michael S. Watson, PhD, FACMG. "Though geneticists are essential to the diagnosis and management of rare diseases and for the care of individuals with genetic conditions, we are faced with a significant deficit in the number of laboratory and clinical geneticists in the United States. Shire's grant supports the ACMG Foundation/Shire Laboratory Geneticist Fellowship Awards and Clinical Genetics Residency Program and will help grow the genetics workforce, which will directly benefit patients and their families dealing with rare genetic diseases."

"Shire's grant to the ACMG Foundation will open doors to the training of a new generation of practitioners and will make a tremendous difference in the lives of children, their families, and the rare disease community overall for decades to come," said Shire CEO Flemming Ornskov, MD, MPH.

About the ACMG Foundation

The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a community of supporters and contributors who understand the importance of medical genetics in health care. Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine supports the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics; mission to "translate genes into health" by raising funds to attract the next generation of medical geneticists and genetic counselors, to sponsor important research, to promote information about medical genetics, and much more.

To learn more about the important mission and projects of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine and how you too can support this great cause, please visit www.acmgfoundation.org or contact us at [email protected] or 301-718-2014.

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

SOURCE ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine

Related Links

http://www.acmgfoundation.org