Stephen Eck joined Eli Lilly & Company in July 2007 as the global leader of Translational Medicine and Pharmacogenomics. Translational Medicine assures that the scientific concepts that underpin new medicines are used in the design of human clinical trials and that the molecular attributes of promising new medicines can be tested in patients. Pharmacogenomics seeks to understand how genetic differences among patients contribute to differences in drug effectiveness and safety. Together these disciplines can assure the more effective use of drug development resources and that the medicines are ultimately used in the most appropriate patient population. Dr. Eck has significant experience in drug development having previously led several oncology and neuroscience drug development groups at Pfizer. He previously served as the Neurosciences & Oncology Clinical Site Head at Pfizer’s Ann Arbor facility. He subsequently lead a phase 3 oncology drug development team before being appointed as Vice President for Translational & Molecular Medicine at Pfizer. Prior to joining Pfizer he served on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Eck received his undergraduate training at Kalamazoo College (BA), graduate training in chemistry from Harvard University (M.S, PhD). He subsequently joined the Monsanto Company as a Senior Scientist conducting oncology drug discovery research. He later received his medical training from the University of Mississippi (MD). After Internal Medicine Residency and Hematology Oncology Fellowship training at the University of Michigan, he joined their faculty before moving to the University of Pennsylvania as the Anne B. Young Assistant Professor of Cancer Research. At the University of Pennsylvania he was the Director of the Cancer Gene Therapy Program and conducted basic and clinical research in cancer therapeutics

Faith T. Fitzgerald, M.D.

Dr. Fitzgerald is an Internist and Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean of Humanities and Bioethics at the University of California Davis, Sacramento. She took her M.D. at the University of California, San Francisco in 1969, was Board Certified in Internal Medicine in 1973 and has been teaching medical students and residents ever since. She has written on a wide variety of topics in medicine, including protean disease states, medical education, physical diagnosis and bioethics. She is a Master of the American College of Physicians, current Regent of the American College of Physicians and sees patients in both hospital and clinic.

Andrew N. Freedman, Ph.D.

Dr. Howell is Professor of Pediatrics and Chairman Emeritus, at the Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami in Florida. Dr. Howell is a graduate of Davidson College and the Duke University School of Medicine where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He is Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, as well as the American Board of Medical Genetics in the area of Clinical Biochemical Genetics. Dr. Howell was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, at the Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami from 1989-2003, as well as Chief of Pediatrics at the Holtz Children’s Hospital, at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center in Miami. He oversaw the construction of the 145,000 sq. ft. Batchelor Children’s Research Institute which opened in 2001 at the Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Howell is the author of over 140 original articles, numerous abstracts and other material dealing with genetic disease in man, especially serious genetic diseases in childhood. He was Chairman of Maternal and Child Health Research Committee of the National Institutes of Health, and a member of the National Medical Advisory Committee of the March of Dimes. A Member of the Board of Directors of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Tucson, AZ., Dr. Howell also serves as Chairman of the MDA Scientific Advisory Committee. He completed a four-year term in 2003 as a member of the National Advisory Council of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and now is Special Assistant to the Director of NICHD, focusing on the Institute’s research efforts in newborn screening. He chaired the NIH Consensus Development Conference on Genetic Testing for Cystic Fibrosis, and later chaired the NIH Consensus Development Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Phenylketonuria. In December 2003, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson appointed Dr. Howell to head the Secretary’s Advisory Committee of Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children. This is the congressionally-mandated group that advises the Secretary on newborn genetic screening, in addition to other areas of heritable disorders and genetic diseases in newborns and children.

Geoffrey Gingsburg, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Ginsburg is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Genomic Medicine. Previously, Dr. Ginsburg was with Millennium Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, Massachuesetts, where he was vice president of molecular and personalized medicine. At Millennium, Ginsburg was responsible for crafting strategy on the discovery of “biomarkers,” genetic characteristics that measure the effects or progress of a disease or condition and the use of those indicators for clinical prediction and diagnosis. Dr. Ginsburg received both his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Boston University. He completed his clinical and research fellowships in molecular cardiology at Beth Israel Hospital and at Children’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Ginsburg developed and directed the preventive cardiology service at Beth Israel Hospital in the late 1980s, and has served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School since 1990. In addition to his role in the IGSP, Ginsburg is a member of the faculty in the Department of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center.

R. Rodney Howell, M.D.

Dr. Howell is Professor of Pediatrics and Chairman Emeritus, at the Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami in Florida. Dr. Howell is a graduate of Davidson College and the Duke University School of Medicine where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He is Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, as well as the American Board of Medical Genetics in the area of Clinical Biochemical Genetics. Dr. Howell was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, at the Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami from 1989-2003, as well as Chief of Pediatrics at the Holtz Children’s Hospital, at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center in Miami. He oversaw the construction of the 145,000 sq. ft. Batchelor Children’s Research Institute which opened in 2001 at the Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Howell is the author of over 140 original articles, numerous abstracts and other material dealing with genetic disease in man, especially serious genetic diseases in childhood. He was Chairman of Maternal and Child Health Research Committee of the National Institutes of Health, and a member of the National Medical Advisory Committee of the March of Dimes. A Member of the Board of Directors of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Tucson, AZ., Dr. Howell also serves as Chairman of the MDA Scientific Advisory Committee. He completed a four-year term in 2003 as a member of the National Advisory Council of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and now is Special Assistant to the Director of NICHD, focusing on the Institute’s research efforts in newborn screening. He chaired the NIH Consensus Development Conference on Genetic Testing for Cystic Fibrosis, and later chaired the NIH Consensus Development Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Phenylketonuria. In December 2003, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson appointed Dr. Howell to head the Secretary’s Advisory Committee of Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children. This is the congressionally-mandated group that advises the Secretary on newborn genetic screening, in addition to other areas of heritable disorders and genetic diseases in newborns and children.

Kathy Hudson, Ph.D.

Dr. Kathy Hudson is the founder and Director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center and an Associate Professor in the Berman Bioethics Institute, Institute of Genetic Medicine, and the Department of Pediatrics at The Johns Hopkins University. The Center was established in April 2002 with a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Hudson founded the Center to fill an important niche in the science policy landscape and to focus exclusively on public policy issues raised by advances in human genetics. She leads the Center’s efforts to address legal, ethical, and policy issues related to human reproductive genetic technologies, genetic testing quality and oversight, and public engagement in genetic research. Prior to establishing the Center, Dr. Hudson serves as Assistant Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. She received her PhD in molecular biology from the University of California at Berkeley.

Sharon Kardia, Ph.D.

Dr. Kardia is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan. She is Director of the Public Health Genetics Program, Co-Director of the Michigan Center for Genomics and Public Health, and Co-Director of the Life Sciences & Society Program housed in the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Dr. Kardia received her doctoral degree in human genetics from the University of Michigan, was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and continued post-doctoral work in the Department of Human Genetics. Dr. Kardia's main research interests are in the genomic epidemiology of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors. She is particularly interested in gene-environment, gene-gene interactions, and in modeling complex relationships between genetic variation, environmental variation, and risk of common chronic diseases. Her work also includes using gene expression and proteomic profiles for molecular classification of tumors and survival analysis in lung and ovarian cancers. As a part of her Center activity, Dr. Kardia is also actively working on moving genetics into chronic disease programs in state departments of health. Dr. Kardia was a member of three National Academy of Science Committees (Genomics and the Public's Health in the 21st Century, Assessing Interactions Among Social, Behavioral, and Genetic Factors and Health, and Applications of Toxicogenomics Technologies to Predictive Toxicology).

Mohamed Khan, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Khan is Director of the Residency Program, Co-Director of the Nano Biotechnology Center, and Director of Basic and Translational Research at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. He is a practicing physician in the state of New York and currently serves as the Chair of the AMA Council on Science and Public Health. Dr. Khan carried out his MD and PhD training concurrently, receiving a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an MD from The University of Chicago. His primary research interests include the development of nanodevices for improved imaging and treatment of cancer, and the integration of anti-angiogenic agents into radiation therapy.

Muin Khoury, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Khoury is the first Director of the CDC's National Office of Public Health Genomics. The Office was formed in 1997 to assess the impact of advances in human genetics and the Human Genome Project on public health and disease prevention. CDC's National Office of Public Health Genomics serves as the national focus for integrating genomics into public health research and programs for disease prevention and health promotion. Dr. Khoury joined CDC as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer in 1980 in the Birth Defects and Genetic Diseases Branch, and as a medical epidemiologist in 1987. In 1990, he became Deputy Chief of the same Branch. In 1996, Dr. Khoury chaired a CDC-wide Task Force on Genetics and Disease Prevention and provided important leadership in outlining a plan delineating the future direction that CDC should take in this important area. Dr. Khoury received his B.S. degree in Biology/Chemistry from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon and his medical degree and Pediatrics training from the same institution. He received a Ph.D. in Human Genetics/Genetic Epidemiology and training in Medical Genetics from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Khoury is board certified in Medical Genetics. Dr. Khoury has published extensively in the fields of genetic epidemiology and public health genetics and is a member of many professional societies and serves on the editorial boards of several journals. He is an Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at Emory's School of Public Health and an Associate in the Department of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Allan Korn, M.D.

Dr. Korn is Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Clinical Affairs for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), a national federation of 39 independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for more than 98 million – nearly one-in-three of all Americans. Dr. Korn serves as Medical Director for BCBSA and oversees the Technology Evaluation Center (TEC), an independent, applied health service research organization that uses an evidence-based methodology for the assessment of clinical technologies. He also represents BCBSA with governmental agencies, regulatory bodies and accrediting entities, and oversees the National Council of Physician Executives made up of senior BCBS Plan physicians that advise the Association. Before joining BCBSA, Dr. Korn served as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. From 1994 until 1996, Dr. Korn was Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs for Premier Health Alliance, where he provided strategic direction and product development for risk adjusted IP and OP clinical data systems. Dr. Korn received a Bachelor of Science and Medical Degrees from Tufts University. He completed his internship and internal medicine residency at Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital and at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Korn is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and is a member of the American Medical Association. He has served on several Institute of Medicine Roundtables.

Debra Leonard, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Leonard received her M.D. and Ph.D. from the New York University School of Medicine, and is currently Professor and Vice Chair for Laboratory Medicine in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Director of the Clinical Laboratories for New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Cornell campus (NYPH-WCMC). She is also Director of the Pathology Residency Training Program at NYPH-WCMC. Dr. Leonard was previously Director of Molecular Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and is a nationally recognized expert in Molecular Pathology. She has served on several national committees that develop policy for the use of genetic and genomic technologies and information, including most recently the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health and Society that advises the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Dr. Leonard is editor of two Molecular Pathology textbooks and has spoken widely on various molecular pathology test services, the future of molecular pathology, and the impact of gene patents on molecular pathology practice. Dr. Leonard is interested in the use of genomic technologies in the practice of medicine to improve patient outcomes.

Michele Lloyd-Puryear, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Puryear is a pediatrician and geneticist. She has held academic appointments and has worked in pediatric clinics at the local and international levels. In her present position, she has administrative responsibilities for the federal Genetic Services Program at Health Resources and Services Administration where she serves as Chief of the Genetic Services Branch, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, is the Executive Secretary of the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases for Newborns and Children and is responsible for policy & public affairs concerning issues and activities surrounding the use of genetic medicine and technology including program planning and education activities at her Agency and Bureau. Dr. Puryear has served in an advisory capacity about genetics and newborn screening to her Bureau, her Agency and other HHS Agencies, the Department of Health and Human Services and to nongovernmental organizations.

Robert L. Nussbaum, M.D. (IOM)

Dr. Nussbaum’s research efforts focus on three main areas: (1) an investigation of the genetic contribution to Parkinson disease (PD); (2) a longstanding effort to understand the rare X-linked disease known as the oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe (OCRL), characterized by congenital cataracts, Fanconi syndrome of the renal proximal tubules, neurological dysfunction, and developmental delay; and (3) a translational research effort to assess the value of “Personalized Medicine”, the application of genetic and genomic approaches to improving patient care. Dr. Nussbaum seeks to evaluate if and how genetic and genomic information about an individual can be used effectively to improve health care by improving outcomes, reducing adverse reactions, lowering costs, and promoting health through risk education. As Chief of the Division of Medical Genetics in the Department of Medicine and as a faculty member in the Institute of Human Genetics, Dr. Nussbaum is seeking to develop collaborative research efforts with clinician-researchers interested in studying how applying genomics can improve patient care.

Ronald Przygodzki, M.D.

Ronald Przygodzki holds a degree in medicine from the Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland. He is certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology by the American Board of Pathology, and in Molecular Genetic Pathology by the American Board of Pathology and the American Board of Medical Genetics. He has served as Associate Director of the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC, and as Chief of Pathology at the Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC. Currently, he is the Associate Director for Genomic Medicine, and the Acting Director, Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development in the Office of Research and Development. His research interests and expertise include pharmacogenomics, toxicogenomics, metabolomics, as well as tumor genomics. Areas of his work include gastrointestinal and pulmonary diseases and neoplasms. He also has expertise in establishing methodologies for molecular testing of small archival tissue samples.  Dr. Przygodzki has authored over forty publications as has written several book chapters. He has been awarded numerous national and international awards for his research efforts. He currently is co-editing an anatomic/clinical pathology board review book.

Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr. PH

Amelie G. Ramirez is a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatics and Director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). She is also the Dielmann Chair in Health Disparities Research and Community Outreach at UTHSCSA and Director of Outreach and Health Care Disparities at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center. Over the past 25 years, Dr. Ramirez has directed numerous state-, Federal-, and privately funded research programs focusing on human and organizational communication to reduce chronic disease and cancer health disparities affecting Hispanics/Latinos and other populations. She has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and is the recipient of state and national awards in the area of health disparities research and the advancement of Hispanics/Latinos in the medical, public health, and behavioral sciences professions across the United States. Dr. Ramirez is a recognized spokesperson for cancer disparities reduction and is a member of various national and regional advisory groups and coalitions. Dr. Ramirez received a B.S. from the University of Houston and M.P.H. and Dr.P.H. degrees from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health.

Laura Lyman Rodriguez, Ph.D.

Laura Lyman Rodriguez is the Senior Advisor to the Director for Research Policy. She helps to develop and implement policy for National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) initiatives, and trans-National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs such as the Genetic Association Information Network. Dr. Rodriguez is particularly interested in the policy and ethics questions related to the inclusion of human research participants in genomics and genetics research. As a major contributor to the development of the NIH Policy for Data Sharing in Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS), Dr. Rodriguez assisted in shaping the policy for NIH-supported or conducted GWAS.  She also played a significant role in the establishment of the procedures for implementing and overseeing the policy across the agency. In addition, she served as Administrative Director at the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research after graduating in 1996, and it was through this work — helping to establish that institute and its laboratories — that Dr. Rodriguez became interested in clinical research policy. Dr. Rodriguez also spent time in the Office of Public Affairs at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, where she focused on legislative relations, and at the National Academies, Institute of Medicine (IOM). During her time at the IOM, she directed the work of a committee examining the federal system for protecting human research participants that produced two reports: Preserving Public Trust: Accreditation, and Human Research Participant Protection Programs and Responsible Research: A Systems Approach to Protecting Research Participants. 

Allen D. Roses

Allen D. Roses, MD, FRCP (Hon) was appointed as Senior VP, Pharmacogenetics for GlaxoSmithKline, July 2006. Previously, he held the position of Senior VP, Genetics Research for GlaxoSmithKline. In 1997, Dr. Roses joined Glaxo Wellcome in 1997 and was charged with organizing genetic strategies for susceptibility gene discovery, pharmacogenetics strategy and implementation, and integration of genetics into medicine discovery and development. In the GSK R&D structure, genetics, genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics were part of Genetics Research and supported the entire R&D pipeline. His group recently performed the proof of principle experiments for using linkage disequilibrium mapping to identify susceptibility loci for drug adverse events. With respect to hypersensitivity to the drug, abacavir, GSK identified the HLA_B5701 locus in 2002 with candidate gene analyses, and then prospectively established the sensitivity (97%) and specificity (>99%) – leading to a re-labelling of the drug expected in late 2008. In 1997, when Dr. Roses left Duke University Medical Center, he was the Jefferson Pilot Professor of Neurobiology and Neurology, Founding Director of the Joseph and Kathleen Bryan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Chief of the Division of Neurology, and Director of the Center for Human Genetics. Dr. Roses was one of the first clinical neurologists to apply molecular genetic strategies to neurological diseases. His laboratory at Duke reported the chromosomal location for more than 15 diseases, including several muscular dystrophies and Lou Gehrig’s disease. He led the team that identified APOE as a major, widely-confirmed susceptibility gene in common late-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 1992. Translation of these findings to metabolic pathway analyses, drug discovery and development continued in GSK with three Phase III trials of rosiglitazone for the treatment of AD. On 5 October 2007, Dr. Roses retired from GSK to return to Duke University where he will direct the Deane Translational Drug Discovery Institute. He has also started a new company, Cabernet Pharmaceuticals Inc, which will initially operate [after 9 Oct!] as a pharmacogenetics consulting company, with growth expected with the initiation of PGX project design and management for the Pharmaceutical, biotech, HMO and CRO industries. Dr. Roses is a member of the FDA Science Board since 2003, where his expertise is in clinical neuroscience, pharmacogenetics, and exploratory drug discovery.

Stephen G. Ryan, M.D.

Dr. Ryan is Executive Director of Discovery Medicine and Epidemiology at AstraZeneca in Wilmington, DE. Dr. Ryan received a BS in Chemistry from Georgetown University in 1976 and an M.D. from Duke in 1980. After residency training at Duke, Children's Hospital of Boston, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, he received board certification by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Ryan has held academic positions in Pediatrics and Neurology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and at the University of Pennsylvania. In the latter position he also served as clinical director of Neurology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Ryan's research team mapped genes for several inherited epilepsies and related disorders of neuronal excitability, and played a leading role in showing that these disorders result from genetically based ion channel dysfunction. Since joining joined AstraZeneca in 2001 he has been involved in a wide variety of pharmacogenetic projects, including studies of inter-individual and inter-racial variation in the pharmacokinetics of statins. Since 2005 he has led a cross-functional group of physicians and scientists at AstraZeneca who are devoted to the characterization of drug effects at the population level, to the development and application of predictive and mechanistic biomarkers in drug development, and to the evaluation of opportunities for personalized medicine.

Kevin A. Schulman, M.D.

Dr. Schulman is a professor of medicine in the Duke University School of Medicine, where he also serves as the director of the Center for Clinical and Genetic Economics and as an associate director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute. He holds a joint appointment as a professor of business administration in Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, where he is the director of the Health Sector Management Program. Dr. Schulman also holds appointments in the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care in the Durham VA Medical Center, the Duke Center for Clinical Health Policy Research, and the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities and History of Medicine. His research interests include economic evaluation in clinical research; health services research and policy, including access to care and the impact of reimbursement and regulatory policies on clinical practice; and medical decision making, especially in patients with life-threatening conditions.

Patrick Terry

Mr. Terry is an entrepreneur who has founded a series of innovative philanthropic, research, and commercial organizations based on the life sciences, applied technology, and social-network theory. In 2000, he and a group of prominent leaders in the fields of genomics, bioinformatics and biotechnology founded Genomic Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: GHDX), a pioneering applied cancer genomics company based in California. His perspective is forged from personal and family experiences with genetic disease, cancer, and extensive work in the disease-specific advocacy community. He’s a lay person – his scientific, technical, and medical knowledge is all self-taught; he’s published dozens of peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters. He is a father of two children with a rare genetic disease and because of this experience he and his wife dramatically altered their lives in 1995 to help alleviate human suffering due to genetic disease. Some of his activities include leadership positions on numerous trade associations, professional societies, and he sits on a number of international and US governmental advisory bodies. He has experience doing hands-on bench science, coordinating two human genetic research programs, conducting basic research on rare genetic diseases, animal disease models, collaborates on human therapeutic clinical trials, and manages multiple life science patents. He has received many honors and awards in the business and scientific communities in the U.S. and internationally. In 2005 he received a ‘Courage Award’ from The Netherlands for his personal and professional risk taking on behalf of others living with disease. Patrick has also founded the following organizations: Personalized Medicine Coalition, Coalition for 21^st Century Medicine, PXE International, Genetic Alliance BioBank, and the International Genetic Alliance.

Sharon Terry

Ms. Terry is President and CEO of the Genetic Alliance, a coalition of over 600 disease specific advocacy organizations working to increase capacity in advocacy organizations and to leverage the voices of the millions of individuals and families affected by genetic conditions. She is the founding Executive Director of PXE International, a research advocacy organization for the genetic condition pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE). She is at the forefront of consumer participation in genetics research, services and policy and serves as a member of many of the major governmental advisory committees on medical research, including the Food and Drug Administration Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee and the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children. She is a member of the board of directors of the Biotechnology Institute and on the advisory board of the Johns Hopkins Genetics and Public Policy Center funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. She is the chair of the Coalition for Genetic Fairness, composed of advocates, healthcare providers and industry working to enact effective federal policy to prohibit genetic information discrimination. She is also chair of the Social Issues Committee of American Society of Human Genetics. In 2005, she received an honorary doctorate from Iona College for her work in community engagement and haplotype mapping. Ms. Terry is a co-founder of the Genetic Alliance Biobank and serves as president of its board. It is a centralized biological and data [consent/clinical/environmental] repository catalyzing translational genomic research on rare genetic diseases. The BioBank works in partnership with academic and industrial collaborators to develop novel diagnostics and therapeutics to better understand and treat these diseases. Along with the other co-inventors of the gene associated with PXE (ABCC6), she holds the patent for the invention. She co-directs a 19-lab research consortium and manages 52 offices worldwide for PXE International.

Steven Teutsch, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Teutsch is Executive Director of U.S. Outcomes Research at Merck & Co., Inc. where he is responsible for scientific leadership in developing evidence-based clinical management programs, conducting outcomes research studies, and improving outcomes measurement to enhance quality of care. Prior to joining Merck he was Director of the Division of Prevention Research and Analytic Methods (DPRAM) at CDC. Dr. Teutsch came to CDC in 1977, where he was assigned to the Parasitic Diseases Division and worked extensively on toxoplasmosis. He was then assigned to the Kidney Donor and subsequently the Kidney Disease Program. He developed the framework for CDC's diabetes control program. He joined the Epidemiology Program Office and became the Director of the Division of Surveillance and Epidemiology where he was responsible for CDC's disease monitoring activities. He became Chief of the Prevention Effectiveness Activity in 1992. Dr. Teutsch received his undergraduate degree in biochemical sciences at Harvard University in 1970, an M.P.H. in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health in 1973, and his M.D. from Duke University School of Medicine in 1974. He completed his residency training in internal medicine at Pennsylvania State University, Hershey. He was certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in 1977, the American Board of Preventive Medicine in 1995, and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and American College of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Teutsch is an Adjunct Professor at the Emory University School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management and UNC School of Public Health.

Martha Turner, Ph.D. R.N., BC, CNAA

Martha Turner is currently the Assistant Director of the ANA Center for Ethics and Human Rights and an adjunct professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University (USU). She is Co-Director and lecturer for the Public Health Ethics course (PMO 991). A recently retired Air Force Colonel, Dr. Turner was the Consultant for Healthcare Ethics to the Air Force Surgeon General from 1998 until 2006. She represented the Department of Defense as an ex-officio member of the Secretary's (HHS) Advisory Committee for Genetics, Health and Society (SACGHS). During the three years with SACGHS she became familiar with challenges associated with the development of new technologies and other scientific advances in genetics and genomics. On behalf of The American Nurses Association (ANA) she reviewed and submitted comments on the Draft Reports, Policy Issues Associated with Undertaking a Large U.S. Population Cohort Project on Genes, Environment, and Disease (2006). and, Realizing the Promise of Pharmacogenomics: Opportunities and Challenges (2007). Her understanding of the challenges and opportunities for health professionals is demonstrated by her experience at the USU, where she teaches applied ethics courses in the M.P.H. and Ph.D./Dr.P.H. programs. Additional activities have included membership on the TriService Nursing Research Program Advisory Council, various scientific review panels, the editorial board for the Journal of Nursing Staff Development, and the USU Institutional Review Board. Research, projects and policy work have addressed pain management, end of life care, air evacuation of patients, care of those imprisoned, and other topics related to healthcare delivery in diverse environments. Martha has been participating on behalf of ANA at ASBH, NCHPEG and ISONG (International Society of Nurses in Genetics) meetings. Additionally, she has been collaborating with a national work group in planning and strategizing on implementation of the nursing core competencies approved and endorsed by the national nursing community. 

Michael S. Watson, Ph.D.

Dr. Watson received his Ph.D. in Physiology & Biophysics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham while focusing on human medical genetics and received his postdoctoral training in the Medical Genetics Training Program at Yale University School of Medicine where he was the Associate Director of Clinical Cytogenetics. He was director of Clinical and Molecular Cytogenetics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics from 1986-2001 and is certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics (ABMG) in Clinical Cytogenetics and as a Ph.D. Medical Geneticist. He served on the Board of Directors of the American College of Medical Genetics (1992-1998) and was Vice President for Laboratory Affairs, chair of the Laboratory Practice committee and cooâ€chair of the Test and Technology Transfer Committee. He chaired the ACMG Economics Committee and the Intellectual Property subcommittee. He was cooâ€chair of the NIH/DOE Task Force on Genetic Testing from 1995 through 1997. He co-chaired the Rare Diseases Subcommittee of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing (SACGT) of DHHS from 2000-2002. He directed the HRSA funded project “Newborn Screening: Toward a Uniform Screening Panel and System” from 2002 through 2005. He is director of the National Coordinating Center for Regional Genetics and Newborn Screening Collaborative Groups. As of 2001, he became an Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine and Executive Director of the American College of Medical Genetics and the American College of Medical Genetics Foundation.

Catherine A. Wicklund

Cathy Wicklund received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and a Master of Science degree in genetic counseling from the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at the University of Texas Graduate School in Biomedical Sciences at Houston. After graduation, Cathy worked in prenatal and pediatrics at Cooper Hospital in New Jersey. Cathy joined the University of Texas Medical School-Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences in 1996 where she was the Director of Prenatal Genetic Counseling Services. In addition, she was the Co-Director of the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at the University of Texas. During her time at the University of Texas she was involved in program administration, designing and coordination of the curriculum, clinical rotations, supervision and was a thesis advisor or committee member on several students’ thesis research projects. She was a co-recipient of a grant from the SMART Foundation to work on cross cultural communication within the graduate program and exploration of a program offering a Spanish language option. After 10 years at the University of Texas she joined the Northwestern Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling as the Associate Director in 2006. In addition, she provides prenatal genetic counseling services in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Cathy is also very active in NSGC. She co-chaired the 2005 Annual Education Conference and was on the Board of Directors as Region V Representative (1999-2001) and Secretary (2002-2004). She began her term as NSGC President in January of 2007.

Janet Woodcock, M.D.

Dr. Woodcock is Deputy Commissioner and Chief Medical Officer, FDA. She oversees scientific and medical regulatory operations for FDA. Dr. Woodcock most recently served as the Deputy Commissioner for Operations and Chief Operating Officer, FDA 2005-2007. Dr. Woodcock served as Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at FDA 1994-2005. She previously served in other positions at FDA including Director, Office of Therapeutics Research and Review and Acting Deputy Director, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Dr. Woodcock received her M.D. from Northwestern Medical School, and completed further training and held teaching appointments at the Pennsylvania State University and the University of California in San Francisco. She joined FDA in 1986.