Notable Geneticist Bruce R. Korf, M.D., Ph.D., Elected President of ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine

BETHESDA, Md., April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bruce R. Korf, M.D., Ph.D., FACMG is the new president of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine (www.acmgfoundation.org), a national nonprofit foundation dedicated to improving health and patient care through the support of research, education, and the safe, effective practice of genetic and genomic medicine.

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Dr. Korf takes over from distinguished geneticist and pediatrician R. Rodney Howell, M.D., FACMG, who completed his long-standing presidency of nine years at the 2012 ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting last month in Charlotte, NC.

"The rapid pace of discovery and the development of new technologies are enabling new approaches to improving health and diagnosing and treating both rare and common disorders.  The ACMG and the ACMG Foundation are at the forefront in the integration of genetics and genomics into medical practice, said Dr. Korf.  "I look forward to working with the Foundation and with the College in educating both our members and other health providers on the application of genetics and genomics in this extraordinary and exciting era."

Dr. Korf received his M.D. degree from Cornell University Medical College and his Ph.D. degree in genetics and cell biology from Rockefeller University.  He then completed training in pediatrics, pediatric neurology, and genetics at Children's Hospital, Boston.  He served as clinical director in the Division of Genetics at Children's Hospital from 1986 to 1999 and as the medical director of the Harvard-Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics from 1999-2002.  

Currently Dr. Korf is the Wayne H. and Sara Crews Finley Chair in Medical Genetics and Professor and Chair, Department of Genetics and Director, Heflin Center for Genomic Sciences at University of Alabama at Birmingham.  Dr. Korf is Immediate Past President of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. He has completed terms as president of the Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics, member of the boards of directors of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the American Society of Human Genetics, member of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, and the National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Counselors.  He is currently a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Human Genome Research Institute.  Dr. Korf is author of Human Genetics: A Problem-Based Approach, soon to be published in the fourth edition.  He is also co-author of Medical Genetics at a Glance, co-editor of the fifth and upcoming sixth edition of Emery and Rimoin's Principles and Practice of Medical Genetics, and co-editor of Current Protocols in Human Genetics. 

ACMG Executive Director Michael S. Watson, Ph.D., FACMG said, "We look forward to Dr. Korf assuming the leadership of the ACMG Foundation at a time of almost unfathomable growth and change and of increasing need for education and training of health care providers and the public to deal with the remarkable opportunities that medical genetics and genomics has to improve health and prevent disease."

About the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine

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.

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 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 (www.acmg.net) 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.

SOURCE ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine