Dr. Noura Abul-Husn Receives the 2021 Dr. Michael S. Watson Genetic and Genomic Medicine Innovation Award from the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine

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American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics

Apr 13, 2021, 11:45 ET

BETHESDA, Md., April 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Noura Abul-Husn, MD, PhD, FACMG is the recipient of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine's 2021 Dr. Michael S. Watson Genetic and Genomic Medicine Innovation Award—the "Watson Award"—named for the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics first and longstanding executive director, Dr. Michael Watson, FACMG.

"I am truly honored and delighted to receive this award from the ACMG Foundation," said Dr. Abul-Husn. "I am deeply committed to growing an innovative program that translates genomic findings into improved patient care for diverse populations."

"We are delighted to announce that Dr. Noura Abul-Husn is the 2021 recipient of the Dr. Michael S. Watson Genetic and Genomic Medicine Innovation Award," said Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD, FACMG, president of the ACMG Foundation. "Dr. Abul-Husn has been a pioneer in the application of genomics to improve health in diverse populations, helping to pave the way towards equitable access to genomic medicine for all people."

Noura S. Abul-Husn, MD, PhD is an associate professor of Medicine and Genetics, founding chief of the Division of Genomic Medicine in the Department of Medicine, and clinical director of the Institute for Genomic Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Genetics and is a fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.

Dr. Abul-Husn is a physician-scientist whose research focus is to uncover the clinical impact of human genetic variation in diverse and unselected populations. Her scientific contributions include pioneering genome-first approaches in population-based biobanks to provide new clinical insights and inform genome-guided therapeutic discovery. She is an expert at leveraging large-scale genomic data linked to electronic health records, and her work has been published in leading journals, including Science, Cell, and the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Abul-Husn's translational research and clinical goals are to integrate leading-edge genomic applications into routine clinical care and drive the equitable implementation of genomic medicine. She recently launched a genomic screening program for medically actionable conditions tailored to ancestrally diverse participants of the BioMe Biobank in New York City. She is a principal investigator in the eMERGE (electronic Medical Records and Genomics) Network, which aims to integrate polygenic risk information into the care of diverse patient populations. Dr. Abul-Husn directs a Genomic Health Clinic to provide the clinical infrastructure for genomic risk communication, and has initiated a Genomic Medicine Track for Internal Medicine residents to expand genomics knowledge across medical specialties.

Dr. Abul-Husn has a BSc Honors in Life Sciences and MSc in Pharmacology from Queen's University in Canada. She completed her MD and PhD at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Scientist Training Program in New York. She received the Terry Ann Krulwich Doctoral Dissertation Award for having the top thesis and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. She went on to complete residency in Internal Medicine and Medical Genetics at Mount Sinai, and was Chief Resident in Medical Genetics. Dr. Abul-Husn has senior-level pharmaceutical industry experience, having served as director of Translational Genetics at the Regeneron Genetics Center, during which time she was recognized by a 2017 Westchester's 40 under 40 Rising Star Award.

The Watson Award recognizes those who have demonstrated innovation in their work and developed or implemented a new concept, method or idea that has had significant impact on genetic and genomic medicine. The award was created to honor the role Dr. Watson played during his nearly 20 years at the helm of ACMG while the field of genetic and genomic medicine emerged and evolved into the far-reaching practice it is today, a period during which Dr. Watson helped ACMG assume its position at the forefront of policy and guideline development.

"Dr. Noura Abul-Husn is the perfect recipient for the Dr. Michael S. Watson Genetic and Genomic Medicine Innovation Award," said Max Muenke, MD, FACMG, CEO of the ACMG. "Dr. Abul-Husn's education as an MD, PhD, her training as an internist – medical geneticist, and her track record of work published in high-profile journals, make her one of the most influential colleagues to translate genomic medicine into optimal patient care. I am personally delighted that Dr. Abul-Husn's work includes a focus on the care of individuals from diverse populations."

About the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine
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 and genomics in healthcare. Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation supports the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) mission to "translate genes into health." Through its work, the ACMG Foundation fosters charitable giving, promotes training opportunities to attract future medical geneticists and genetic counselors to the field, shares information about medical genetics and genomics, and sponsors important research. To learn more and support the ACMG Foundation mission to create "Better Health through Genetics" visit www.acmgfoundation.org.

Kathy Moran, MBA
[email protected]

SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics