Lindsay C. Burrage, MD, PhD of Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital and Shane C. Quinonez, MD of The University of Michigan were honored as the 2013-2014 recipients of the Genzyme/ACMG Foundation Medical Genetics Training Award in Clinical Biochemical Genetics at the ACMG 2013 Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting in Phoenix, AZ.
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. 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. Burrage is currently in the second year of residency in Medical Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. She said, "The Medical Biochemical Genetics Fellowship at Baylor will provide an environment where I can obtain both clinical and research training in inborn errors of metabolism. This training will prepare me for an academic career in biochemical genetics, where I can continue to pursue my research interests focusing on metabolic disorders." Dr. Burrage completed her M.D. and Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH and a Pediatrics Residency at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, OH. Her research during the Award period will involve a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the utility of sodium phenylbutyrate as a therapeutic agent in Maple Syrup Urine Disease.
The second award recipient, Dr. Quinonez, received his M.D from the University of Michigan, completed his residency in Pediatrics at the University of Michigan, and began his residency in Medical Genetics in 2011. His research focuses on Cystinosis and the potential correction of cystine storage via microvesicles. He will continue his training as part of the Clinical Biochemical Genetics Program.
"I am extremely honored to be one of the recipients of the Genzyme/ACMG Foundation award. It is my hope that the opportunities, both research and clinical, afforded to me as a result of this award will allow me to provide the best possible clinical care to the patients I manage in the future."
"The Genzyme/ACMG Foundation Clinical Genetics Award in Clinical Biochemical Genetics is critical to the development of the genetics workforce. Biochemical genetics is undergoing particular rapid change, as new insights into disease mechanisms are leading to new methods of treatment," said Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD, FACMG, president of the ACMG Foundation.
Since 2005, the Genzyme Corporation has generously sponsored this prestigious award, and in 2012 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 http://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.
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 and genetic counseling in healthcare. Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation supports the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics' 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.