American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Announces New Board Members: Dr. Louanne Hudgins is ACMG President-Elect

BETHESDA, Md., April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At its 2015 ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting in Salt Lake City, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) announced the election of five new directors to its Board.  Members of the ACMG Board of Directors serve as advocates for the ACMG and for forming and advancing its policies and programs. ACMG is the national organization for the medical genetics profession.

"It's an eventful time in medical genetics and genomics.  We are excited to add these outstanding 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 medical backgrounds within genetics to represent the broad range of work that our members do.  Each new Board member brings singular talents, insights, and experience that will enhance the College's mission."

The five newly-elected directors will serve six-year terms from April 2015 to March 2021.   

Louanne Hudgins, MD, FACMG: President-Elect

ACMG President-elect Dr. Louanne Hudgins received her MD from the University of Kansas. She completed her internship/residency in Pediatrics and her fellowship in Human Genetics at the University of Connecticut.  Dr. Hudgins is board certified in medical genetics.  She is currently Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Medical Genetics at Stanford University Medical Center. She is also Director of Perinatal Genetics and Service Chief for Medical Genetics at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.  She has been the Mosbacher Family Distinguished Packard Fellow at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics since 2008.  Known as an outstanding teacher and mentor, she also earned the "Excellence in Teaching Award" at Stanford University School of Medicine in 2004 and 2009-2010.

Dr. Hudgins has been very active in the ACMG serving on the ACMG Board of Directors (2002-2009) and as VP for Clinical Genetics (2007-2009). She has also served on several committees: Dysmorphology Subcommittee (1997-2000); Governance Committee (2008-2009); Co-Chair, Professional Practice and Guidelines Committee (2003-2007); Maintenance of Certification Committee (2005-2012).  Additionally, Dr. Hudgins has been involved in national and international professional activities including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Board of Genetic Counseling, the National Board of Medical Examiners, the NIH/NHGRI Special Emphasis Review/Panel, the American Society of Human Genetics and the International Congress of Human Genetics.

Dr. Hudgins' specialties include prenatal screening and diagnosis, dysmorphology, and general clinical genetics.  She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed and invited publications. She recently co-edited the book Signs and Symptoms of Genetic Conditions: A Handbook.

Tina M. Cowan, PhD, FACMG: Director, Biochemical Genetics

Dr. Cowan received both her BA and PhD degrees in Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Cowan completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and is ABMGG-certified in Biochemical/Molecular Genetics and Medical Genetics. Following training she joined the faculty at the University of Maryland, Division of Human Genetics, where she was co-director of the Biochemical Genetics Laboratory. She is currently Associate Professor of Pathology at Stanford University and Director of the Clinical Biochemical Genetics Laboratory, as well as Laboratory Training Director for ABMGG-accredited training in biochemical genetics for both the Stanford and UCSF programs.

Dr. Cowan was a member of the ACMG Laboratory QA committee (Vice-Chair 2010-2012) and Biochemical Genetics Subcommittee (Chair 2008-2012), as well as the ACMG ACT Sheet and Confirmatory Algorithms Workgroup. She served on the ABMGG Board of Directors from 2006-2011 (President 2011), and is a member of the CAP/ACMG Biochemical and Molecular Genetics Resource Committee (Biochemical Genetics).

Dr. Cowan divides her time between clinical laboratory service, research, and teaching medical students, residents and fellows. Research interests include the metabolic characterization of mitochondrial disease, the development of new methods for laboratory screening and diagnosis, and new educational approaches for teaching biochemistry and biochemical genetics to medical students and fellows. She is an author on more than 50 peer-reviewed publications on methods development and translation, various organic acidemias, mitochondrial myopathies and other inborn errors of metabolism.

Susan D. Klugman, MD, FACMG, FACOG: Director, Clinical Genetics

Dr. Klugman graduated from Cornell University with a BS with honors in Biometry and Statistics. She then earned her MD from New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Klugman completed her Ob/GYN and Clinical Genetics training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center. She practiced as an ob/gyn generalist for 10 years and served as the medical director of the Larchmont Women's Center before completing her genetics training. She is currently the Director of the Division of Reproductive Genetics. She is also the Program Director for the Clinical Genetics Residency that spans both the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health. In addition, she is the Medical Director for the Program for Jewish Genetic Health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Klugman, a Professor of Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, is Board Certified in both Clinical Genetics and Obstetrics/Gynecology.

Dr. Klugman is a member of the Education Committee of the ACMG, where she co-chaired many trainee activities including the mentor/trainee luncheon. She is also currently a member of the ACGME Residency Review Committee for Medical Genetics. She is a council member and current vice chair of the Genetics Residency Program Directors Group of the APHMG. Dr. Klugman is part of a multi-hospital Prenatal Genetic Screening and Testing collaborative that is developing best practices in OB Genetics for many New York City area hospitals. Dr. Klugman will serve on the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Committee on Genetics beginning in May.

Dr. Klugman divides her times between her clinical practice (primarily related to prenatal and cancer genetics) and teaching and administrative duties. She has participated in multiple local and national clinical trials and coauthored 20 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Klugman is a mentor for many high school, college and medical students and helped many of them publish peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Klugman is a known community lecturer/educator and has appeared on several national television news programs, on topics relating to prenatal and cancer genetics.

Katy (Mary C.) Phelan, PhD, FACMG: Cytogenetics Director

Dr. Phelan earned her PhD in Human Genetics from Virginia Commonwealth University (Medical College of Virginia) in Richmond and then completed a Cytogenetics fellowship at Greenwood Genetic Center where she directed the cytogenetics lab from 1984-1999. She established and was off-site director of cytogenetics for Fullerton Genetics, Asheville (1993-2002) and Advanced Cytogenetics, Atlanta (2002-2004). From 1999-2005 she directed the Genetic Diagnostic Laboratory at Erlanger, Chattanooga. She established and directed the cytogenetics lab at Molecular Pathology Laboratory in Maryville (2004-2011). In 2011, she joined the Hayward Genetics Program at Tulane University where she is Cytogenetics Director, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, and Program Director for the Clinical Cytogenetics Fellowship program. She is a Board Certified Clinical Cytogeneticist and PhD Medical Geneticist.

Dr. Phelan is a member of the ACMG Economics of Genetics Services Committee. She was an Item Writer (Cytogenetics) for the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (1997-2002). She has held many offices in the Southeastern Regional Genetics Group, serving as President (2012-2014), Vice-President (2010-2012), Chairman of the Cytogenetics Committee on the Board of Directors (1997-1999 and 2006-2010), and currently as Past-President (2014-2016). She organized the first 22q13 Deletion Syndrome (Phelan-McDermid Syndrome) Support Group Meeting in 1998 and is the Founder of the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation (2002). She serves on the PMSF Scientific Advisory Board (2010-present).

Dr. Phelan is an author on more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and reviews with primary interests in the etiology and clinical characterization of microdeletion syndromes, particularly Phelan-McDermid syndrome. More recently, Dr. Phelan's interest has focused on the study of cognitive and motor regression in adolescents and adults with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome.

Amy E. Roberts, MD, FACMG: Director, Clinical Genetics

Dr. Roberts received her MD from Dartmouth Medical School and completed her Pediatrics residency at the University of Massachusetts and then residency in Medical Genetics at Harvard Medical School. She joined the Division of Genetics at Boston Children's Hospital in 2004 and was then hired to direct Cardiovascular Clinical Genetics Research in the Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital in 2007. She is Co-Director of the Boston Combined Pediatrics/Genetics Residency Training Program and Co-Director of the Maternal Fetal Medicine/Genetics Combined Residency Training Program. She is the recipient of the 2006 John M. Opitz Young Investigator Award and the 2007 William K Bowes, Jr. Award in Medical Genetics. Dr. Roberts was the resident member of the ACGME Residency Review Committee for Medical Genetics (2002-2004). She has been a member of the ACMG Education Committee since 2009 and is currently the Chair of the committee.

Dr. Roberts has demonstrated clinical expertise and innovation in the area of gene discovery, genotype phenotype correlations, management and treatment for the Rasopathies (Noonan syndrome (NS), Noonan syndrome with multiple lentigines, Cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome, and Costello syndrome). Her research has led to the discovery of several genes that cause NS and since 2002 has followed a cohort of more than 150 children with NS leading to new discoveries of genotype influences on cardiac complications, cognition, and health issues for adolescents and adults. She obtained NIH funding to organize two international symposia for Rasopathy researchers. She has been invited to participate in developing evidence based management guidelines for Noonan syndrome and Cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome. Other research interests include the genetics of congenital heart disease and pharmacogenetics for mTOR regulated cardiomyopathy. Dr. Roberts also enjoys spending a significant amount of time in her general cardiovascular genetics, Rasopathy, and Williams syndrome clinics.

ACMG Also Thanks Board Members Completing Their Terms

Five ACMG Directors completed their terms on the ACMG Board in 2015 and are thanked for their service:

Greg Grabowski, MD, FACMG; Anthony R. Gregg, MD, FACMG; Wayne Grody, MD, PhD, FACMG; John Mulvihill, MD, FACMG; and Kathleen Rao, PhD, FACMG. A complete list of the ACMG Board of Directors is available at www.acmg.net.

About the ACMG and ACMG Foundation

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 1750 biochemical, clinical, cytogenetic, medical and molecular geneticists, genetic counselors and other healthcare professionals, nearly 80% of whom are board certified in the medical genetics specialties. ACMG is the only nationally recognized medical organization dedicated to improving health through the practice of medical genetics and genomics. The College's mission includes the following goals: 1) to define and promote excellence in the practice of medical genetics and genomics and to facilitate the integration of new research discoveries into medical practice; 2) to provide medical genetics and genomics education to fellow professionals, other healthcare providers, and the public; 3) to improve access to medical genetics and genomics services and to promote their integration into all of medicine; and 4) to serve as advocates for providers of medical genetics and genomics services and their patients. Genetics in Medicine, published monthly, is the official ACMG peer-reviewed journal. ACMG's website (www.acmg.net) offers a variety of resources including Policy Statements, Practice Guidelines, Educational Resources, and a Find a Geneticist tool. The educational and public health programs of the American College of Medical Genetics are dependent upon charitable gifts from corporations, foundations, and individuals through the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine (www.acmgfoundation.org.)

Contact Kathy Ridgely Beal, MBA
ACMG Media Relations
301-238-4582
[email protected]

SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics

Related Links

http://www.acmg.net