New President-Elect and Directors Elected to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Board of Directors

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American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics

Mar 28, 2013, 11:11 ET

BETHESDA, Md., March 28, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) recently announced that six new directors have been elected to its Board. The Board of Directors are active participants in serving as advocates for the ACMG and for advancing its policies and programs.

"It's a momentous time in medical genetics and genomics. We are excited to add these exemplary individuals to our Board," said Michael S. Watson, PhD, FACMG, ACMG Executive Director. "The College's Board consists of experienced and skilled individuals with diverse backgrounds within the genetics field to represent the broad range of work our members do. Each new Board member brings unique talents, insights and experience that will continue to enhance the College's work."

All newly-elected directors will serve from April 2013-March 2019.

The newly-announced ACMG Directors are:

1. Gerald Feldman, MD, PhD, FACMG is the ACMG President-Elect. Dr. Feldman graduated from Indiana University, with a degree in Biological Sciences and later an MS degree in Medical Genetics. He subsequently received both his PhD in Human Genetics and his MD from Virginia Commonwealth University (Medical College of Virginia). Dr. Feldman is board certified in Clinical Genetics and Clinical Biochemical/Molecular Genetics.

Dr. Feldman completed a residency in Pediatrics and fellowships in Clinical Genetics and Clinical Biochemical/Molecular Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. He joined the Department of Medical Genetics at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit in 1990 and Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1999, where he is currently Professor of Pediatrics, Molecular Genetics and Medicine and Pathology. He is the Director of Clinical Genetics Services at Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Medical Director of the Division of Laboratory Genetics and Molecular Pathology at the Detroit Medical Center-University Laboratories. He is the Program Director for the Newborn Screening Metabolic Management Program at Children's Hospital of Michigan. Dr. Feldman is also the Program Director for the Medical Genetics Residency and the Medical Biochemical Genetics Fellowship programs at the Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Dr. Feldman divides his time between his clinical practice of medical genetics and inborn errors of metabolism, molecular diagnostics and medical genetics education and training.

Dr. Feldman is an author on more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and reviews, with primary interests in the clinical applications of molecular technologies in the diagnosis of genetic disorders. His research interests include fragile X syndrome and cystic fibrosis. More recently, his interests have focused on newborn screening, specifically in the area of long term follow-up and management.

Dr. Feldman has a special interest in medical genetics education. He was a co-organizer of the first Banbury Summit (2004) on the future of medical genetics training. He was President of the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics (APHMG) from 2006-2008. He has been chair and member of Michigan's Genetic Advisory, Newborn Screening, and Metabolic Quality Improvement committees and has served on a variety of ACMG committees including his time as Program Chair of the 2007 Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting and Director, Clinical Genetics from 2005 – 2011.

Dr. Feldman will hold the office of president-elect for a term of two years

2. Joel Charrow, MD, FACMG is the new Biochemical Genetics Director. Dr. Charrow received his bachelor's degree from Antioch College and his MD from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Charrow's post-doctoral training in pediatrics and clinical and biochemical genetics were at Children's Memorial Hospital. He is board certified in Pediatrics, Clinical Genetics, and Clinical Biochemical Genetics. He is the director of the Division of Genetics, Birth Defects and Metabolism and the Genetics Laboratory at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, and Professor of Pediatrics at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University.

Dr. Charrow has served on the ACMG Test and Technology Transfer Committee, the Laboratory Subcommittee of the Illinois State Metabolic Disease Advisory Committee, and the International Quality Control Committee of the National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association. He is currently the chair of the Illinois State Genetic and Metabolic Disease Advisory Committee.

Dr. Charrow's interests are mainly in the areas of biochemical genetics, neurofibromatosis, and skeletal dysplasias. He has been particularly involved with lysosomal storage disorders, directing both research and diagnostic laboratories in this field. He currently directs Comprehensive Gaucher, Fabry and Pompe Disease Programs at Lurie Children's Hospital. He is the current chair of the North American Fabry Registry Advisory Board. He has published more than 70 peer-reviewed manuscripts on lysosomal storage diseases and a variety of other topics.

3. Kristin G. Monaghan, PhD, FACMG is the new Molecular Genetics Director. Dr. Monaghan received her B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Michigan and a PhD in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Wayne State University School of Medicine. She completed her Fellowship in Clinical Molecular Genetics and PhD Medical Genetics from the Department of Medical Genetics at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Dr. Monaghan is the Director of the DNA Diagnostic Laboratory and a Medical Geneticist in the Cancer Genetics and General Genetics Clinics in the Department of Medical Genetics at Henry Ford Hospital. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit.

Active in the ACMG, Dr. Monaghan has served as Chair of the ACMG Laboratory Quality Assurance Committee. She has also served on the ACMG Membership Committee and several ACMG Ad hoc committees (Value of a Genetic Diagnosis, Carrier Screening, Risk Categorization for Oversight of Laboratory Developed Tests for Inherited Conditions, and Noninvasive Prenatal Screening). Dr. Monaghan served on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Medical Genetics (ABMG) for 6 years and is currently a member of the American Board of Pathology's Molecular Genetic Pathology Test Development and Advisory Committee. She has published more than 40 scholarly articles primarily focused on clinical molecular genetic testing.

4. Lorraine Potocki, MD, FACMG is a new Clinical Genetics Director. Dr. Potocki received her Bachelor's in Biology and MD degrees through the Modular Medical Integrated Curriculum program at Boston University College of Liberal Arts and Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Potocki completed a Pathology Residency at the University of Massachusetts with a concentration in Fetal and Developmental Pathology at the Women and Infants Hospital at Brown University. She completed her Genetics Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and is currently a Professor in the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at BCM. Dr. Potocki is board certified in Clinical Pathology and Clinical Genetics and serves as a consulting geneticist at the Texas Children's Hospital and other hospitals in Houston. Dr. Potocki directs the genetics curriculum at Baylor College of Medicine, including the newly established Genetics Track for the medical students. She also participates in community activities regarding genetics education.

Dr. Potocki served on the ACMG Membership Committee, the ACMG Program Committee and was Program Chair for the 2011 ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting. She is a member of the Professional Advisory Board for Smith-Magenis Syndrome, serves on the Information and Education Committee of the American Society of Human Genetics, and has served on the Board of Directors for the March of Dimes.

Dr. Potocki has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and has co-authored the textbook, Human Genetics: From Molecules to Medicine. Dr. Potocki's scientific and clinical publications are concentrated in, yet not limited to her work involving Smith-Magenis, Potocki-Shaffer, and Potocki-Lupski syndromes, for which she has received funding for clinical investigation.

5. Maren T. Scheuner, MD, MPH, FACMG is a new Clinical Genetics Director. Dr. Scheuner received her BS in Biology from the University of California, Riverside; her MPH from the UCLA School of Public Health, and her MD from the UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Scheuner completed her Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at the UCLA/San Fernando Valley Program and her Fellowship in Medical Genetics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Dr. Scheuner is the Chief of Medical Genetics and Director of Health Services Genomics Research at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, and she is the Director of Clinical Genetic Services for the Veterans Integrated Service Network 22, serving 5 large, integrated VA facilities in Southern California and Southern Nevada. She is also a Senior Researcher at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

A Founding Fellow of ACMG, Dr. Scheuner has been very active with ACMG committees including the Adult Genetics Special Interest Group, the Economics Committee, the Public Health Special Interest Group, and since 2003 she has been the ACMG representative on the Medical Advisory Panel to the national Blue Cross Blue Shield Association's Technology Evaluation Center.

Dr. Scheuner divides her time between her clinical practice of adult genetics and health services and implementation research. She has authored more than 50 publications. Her areas of interest include: genetic risk assessment for chronic diseases of adulthood; health services, implementation and policy research in genetic and genomic medicine; assessment of genetic and genomic applications and technologies; health information technology and genomics; development and evaluation of family history tools for public health and preventive medicine practice; and professional education in genetics.

6. Robert D. Steiner, MD, FAAP, FACMG is a new Clinical Genetics Director. Dr. Steiner received both his BS and Medical Degree from the University of Wisconsin. He completed his Pediatric Residency at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati and then his Clinical Genetics and Clinical Biochemical Genetics Fellowships at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle.

Dr. Steiner is the Credit Unions for Kids Professor of Pediatric Research, and faculty in Pediatrics Molecular & Medical Genetics, and the Program in Molecular & Cellular Biosciences, at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). He is also an Attending Physician at Shriners Hospital, Portland, OR as well as OHSU Hospital and OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital. Steiner is board certified in Pediatrics, Clinical Genetics, and Clinical Biochemical Genetics.

Dr. Steiner has served on a number of ACMG committees including the ACMG Annual Meeting Program Committee, ACMG Therapeutics Committee, ACMG/Newborn Screening Translational Research Network Standing Committee and chaired the ACMG Pompe Disease Working Group.

He is Deputy Editor of ACMG's academic journal, Genetics in Medicine. He also served on the Institute of Medicine: Accelerating Rare Diseases Research and Orphan Product Development Committee, and serves as Chair of the Training Committee of the NIH Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network. He has been published in more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.

He is an active clinician, seeing patients with known or suspected metabolic diseases of all types, and his research interests are in sterol disorders, lysosomal storage diseases, osteogenesis imperfecta, and PKU.

The following Directors are retiring from the ACMG Board in 2013 and are thanked for their service:

Rick Martin, MD, FACMG
Sue Richards, PhD, FACMG
Piero Rinaldo, MD, PhD
Robert Saul, MD, FACMG
Marc Williams, MD, FACMG

A complete list of the 16 ACMG Board of Directors is available at www.acmg.net.

About the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine
Founded in 1991, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (www.acmg.net) advances the practice of medical genetics and genomics by providing education, resources and a voice for more than 1600 biochemical, clinical, cytogenetic, medical and molecular geneticists, genetic counselors and other healthcare professionals committed to the practice of medical genetics and genomics. ACMG's activities include the development of laboratory and practice standards and guidelines, advocating for quality genetic services in healthcare and in public health, and promoting the development of methods to diagnose, treat and prevent genetic disease. Genetics in Medicine is the official ACMG peer-reviewed journal.

SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics