Carlos E. Prada, MD of Cincinnati Children's Hospital and James D. Weisfeld-Adams, MD of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY were honored as the 2012-2013 recipients of the Genzyme/ACMG Foundation Medical Genetics Training Award in Clinical Biochemical Genetics at the ACMG 2012 Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting in Charlotte, NC.
The objective of the two Genzyme/ACMG Foundation Awards is to support a national training program to encourage the recruitment and training of clinicians in the field of clinical biochemical genetics and especially in the diagnosis, management and treatment of individuals with metabolic diseases. For the first time, two awardees will be given the opportunity to participate in an in-depth clinical experience at a premier medical center with expertise and significant clinical volume in the area of biochemical genetics.
The Award grants $75,000 per year to each of two recipients selected by the ACMG Foundation through a competitive process and will provide for the sponsorship of one year of the trainees' clinical genetics subspecialty in biochemical genetics following residency.
Dr. Prada is currently undertaking a combined residency/fellowship in Pediatrics and Genetics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. He said, "I am very interested in clinical research of lysosomal diseases. The goal of my proposed research is to characterize imaging and serum biomarkers in individuals with MPSs with the future goal of identifying individuals at risk for cardiovascular complications and early initiation of therapies to improve outcomes." Dr. Prada completed his Doctor of Medicine at Universidad Industrial de Santander in Colombia and a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Cancer Research at University of California, San Diego.
The second award recipient, Dr. Weisfeld-Adams, received his medical degree from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and postgraduate training at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow, Scotland. More recently, he completed a combined residency/fellowship in Pediatrics and Medical Genetics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, and has recently been appointed to the clinical faculty at Mount Sinai. His research focuses on combined methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria, cbl C type (cobalamin C disease). His research aims to characterize the neuropathology of this disease, focusing in particular in the role of oxidative injury, disordered myelin biology, and hyperhomocysteinemia. An animal model of the disorder is under development, and, in a multidisciplinary collaboration with several other investigators, Dr. Weisfeld-Adams has initiated a clinical natural history study evaluating various aspects of the neurologic phenotype in a cohort of children and adults with this disease.
"The Genzyme/ACMG Foundation Clinical Genetics Award in Clinical Biochemical Genetics is critical to the development of the genetics workforce. Through this financial award we are supporting the education of those who are working to advance biochemical research and to develop new standards of practice in medical genetics in the United States which will both improve health and save lives," said R. Rodney Howell, MD, FACMG, president of the ACMG Foundation.
Since 2005, the Genzyme Corporation has generously sponsored this prestigious award, and last year they doubled their commitment for the 2012 through 2016 Fellowships. The ACMG Foundation is honored to have the Genzyme Corporation as a member of its Corporate Partners Program. For more information about the Corporate Partners Program and other ways to support the work of the ACMG Foundation, please visit www.acmgfoundation.org.
Note to editors: To arrange interviews with experts in medical genetics, contact Kathy Beal, MBA, ACMG Director of Public Relations at kbeal@acmg.net or 301-238-4582.
About the American College of Medical Genetics and ACMG Foundation
The ACMG Foundation, 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' mission to "translate genes into health" 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.
Founded in 1991, the American College of Medical Genetics advances the practice of medical genetics by providing education, resources and a voice for more than 1400 biochemical, clinical, cytogenetic, medical and molecular geneticists, genetic counselors and other healthcare professionals committed to the practice of medical genetics. 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, published monthly, is the official ACMG peer-reviewed journal. ACMG's website offers a variety of resources including Policy Statements, Practice Guidelines variety of resources including Policy Statements, Practice Guidelines, Educational Resources, and a Medical Geneticist Locator. The educational and public health programs of the American College of Medical Genetics are dependent upon charitable gifts from corporations, foundations, and individuals.