image: The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine (www.acmgfoundation.org), 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. view more
Credit: ACMG Foundation
Hua Wang, MD, PhD of University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and Farrah Rajabi, MD of Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School are recipients of the Pfizer/ACMG Foundation Clinical Genetics Combined Residency for Translational Genomic Scholars Fellowship Award at the 2016 ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting in Tampa, Florida.
The objective of this fellowship is to provide an in-depth clinical research training experience at a premier medical center with expertise and significant clinical volume in the area of biochemical genetics, including lysosomal storage diseases, as well as in therapeutics and clinical trials involving patients with these and other metabolic diseases and, thereby, to increase the number of medical geneticists with interest, knowledge, and expertise in this area.
This Award grants $75,000 per year to the two recipients selected by the ACMG Foundation through a competitive process and will provide for the sponsorship of one year of the trainee's clinical genetics subspecialty in translational genomics following residency.
Dr. Wang received her MD, PhD and MS at Nanjing Medical University in Nanjing, China and Fudan University, in Shanghai, China. She is currently completing her Medical Genetics Residency at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center after completing her Surgical Nutrition Fellowship at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Wang said, "I am honored and proud to receive the Pfizer/ACMG Foundation Clinical Genetics Combined Residency for Translational Genomics Scholars Fellowship. I appreciate Pfizer and the ACMG Foundation for providing this opportunity to further my education and training in Medical Genetics. I am grateful for the excellent training environment provided by Medical Genetics Residency Training Program at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
I want to thank my mentor, Dr. Klaas Wierenga, and the other genetics providers at OUHSC for their support. I also want to thank my research collaborator, Dr. Lijun Xia, at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. This fellowship supports the continued exploration of a novel lysosomal disorder which will lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies in lysosomal storage diseases. Furthermore, it allows me to develop expertise in the management of lysosomal storage disorders and promote my career development as a physician-scientist."
Dr. Rajabi received her MD at the University of Toledo College of Medicine, Ohio, and is currently completing a combined residency in Pediatrics and Medical Genetics at the Harvard Medical School Genetics Training Program, in Boston, MA. Dr. Rajabi said, "I am honored and elated to be a recipient of the 2016 Pfizer/ACMG Foundation Fellowship Award. With this support, I will be able to continue training in clinical research and clinical care coordination. I know that understanding the molecular aspects of biochemical conditions can provide immense and meaningful clinical discoveries. The support of this award will provide the tools to pursue this knowledge in Fabry disease under the mentorship of Dr. Olaf Bodamer and the other dedicated clinicians and staff at the Harvard Medical School Genetics Training Program. The impact of this award and training will be lifelong leading to innovative management and treatment for the patients and families I encounter."
"With major advances in genomics, the Pfizer/ACMG Foundation Clinical Genetics Combined Residency for Translational Genomic Scholars presents an important opportunity to develop new approaches to diagnosis and treatment of genetic disorders. This fellowship is therefore a key component of our initiative to train physician scientists to be leaders in translational research in medical genomics," said Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD, FACMG, president of the ACMG Foundation.
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To learn more about the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine visit http://www.acmgfoundation.org.
The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine (http://www.acmgfoundation.org), 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.