Sarah Elsea, PhD, FACMG Is Elected to the Board of Directors of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine

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American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics

Mar 04, 2020, 08:00 ET

BETHESDA, Md., March 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sarah H. Elsea, PhD, FACMG, professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine and senior director of biochemical genetics at Baylor Genetics, has been elected to the board of directors of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine. 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, serving as advocates for the Foundation and for advancing its policies and programs. Dr. Elsea was elected to a two-year term starting immediately.

"It is our pleasure to welcome Dr. Sarah Elsea to the ACMG Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Elsea's experience in medical genetics and commitment to the mission of the College will add greatly to our ability to support clinical and educational activities on behalf of our members and the public," said ACMG Foundation President Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD, FACMG.

Dr. Elsea received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a minor in biology from Missouri State University and a PhD in biochemistry from Vanderbilt University. She completed postdoctoral fellowships in molecular and biochemical genetics at Baylor College of Medicine and is board certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics. She held faculty appointments at Michigan State University and the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University prior to returning to Baylor College of Medicine in 2013. Her research is focused on the discovery, pathomechanisms, diagnosis and treatment of rare and complex disease, particularly neurodevelopmental and metabolic disorders that involve sleep disturbance, behavioral phenotypes, obesity and cancer. While most of the work in Dr. Elsea's lab has a molecular basis, her work with children and families living with Smith-Magenis syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders has focused several studies toward the family, sibling and caregiver experience for those caring for and living with individuals with complex neurodevelopmental conditions. Her primary goals have focused toward supporting education and research to develop appropriate interventions to improve the health and quality of life of persons with neurodevelopmental and metabolic disorders using an integrated approach to education, outreach and mentoring. Dr. Elsea works collaboratively with support groups to develop relevant, targeted research to inform and improve upon quality of life for individuals affected by genetic conditions. Dr. Elsea serves on the board of directors of the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics and is chair of the Parents and Researchers Interested in Smith-Magenis Syndrome (PRISMS) Professional Advisory Board.

About being elected to the ACMG Foundation Board of Directors, Dr. Elsea said, "As we focus toward defining targeted treatments for both rare and common disease, we have an increasing need to translate genetics in healthcare. The mission of the Foundation to support and foster the training and education of medical geneticists and to enhance community education and awareness of genetics and genomics is at the heart of my work. I am both honored and delighted for the opportunity to support the ACMG Foundation Board of Directors, and I look forward to working with the Foundation to advance these goals."

A complete roster of the ACMG Foundation board can be found at www.acmgfoundation.org.

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 acmgfoundation.org.

Kathy Moran, MBA
[email protected]

SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics