BETHESDA, Md., April 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- Noura Abul-Husn, MD,
PhD, FACMG is the recipient of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic
and Genomic Medicine's 2021 Dr. Michael S. Watson Genetic and
Genomic Medicine Innovation Award—the "Watson Award"—named for
the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics first and
longstanding executive director, Dr. Michael Watson, FACMG.
"I am truly honored and delighted to receive this award from the
ACMG Foundation," said Dr. Abul-Husn. "I am deeply committed to
growing an innovative program that translates genomic findings into
improved patient care for diverse populations."
"We are delighted to announce that Dr. Noura Abul-Husn is the 2021 recipient of the Dr.
Michael S. Watson Genetic and Genomic Medicine Innovation Award,"
said Bruce R. Korf, MD, PhD, FACMG,
president of the ACMG Foundation. "Dr. Abul-Husn has been a pioneer
in the application of genomics to improve health in diverse
populations, helping to pave the way towards equitable access to
genomic medicine for all people."
Noura S. Abul-Husn, MD, PhD is an
associate professor of Medicine and Genetics, founding chief of the
Division of Genomic Medicine in the Department of Medicine, and
clinical director of the Institute for Genomic Health at the Icahn
School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Genetics
and is a fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and
Genomics.
Dr. Abul-Husn is a physician-scientist whose research focus is
to uncover the clinical impact of human genetic variation in
diverse and unselected populations. Her scientific contributions
include pioneering genome-first approaches in population-based
biobanks to provide new clinical insights and inform genome-guided
therapeutic discovery. She is an expert at leveraging large-scale
genomic data linked to electronic health records, and her work has
been published in leading journals, including Science,
Cell, and the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr.
Abul-Husn's translational research and clinical goals are to
integrate leading-edge genomic applications into routine clinical
care and drive the equitable implementation of genomic medicine.
She recently launched a genomic screening program for medically
actionable conditions tailored to ancestrally diverse participants
of the BioMe Biobank in New York
City. She is a principal investigator in the eMERGE
(electronic Medical Records and Genomics) Network, which aims to
integrate polygenic risk information into the care of diverse
patient populations. Dr. Abul-Husn directs a Genomic Health Clinic
to provide the clinical infrastructure for genomic risk
communication, and has initiated a Genomic Medicine Track for
Internal Medicine residents to expand genomics knowledge across
medical specialties.
Dr. Abul-Husn has a BSc Honors in Life Sciences and MSc in
Pharmacology from Queen's University in Canada. She completed her MD and PhD at the
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Scientist Training
Program in New York. She received
the Terry Ann Krulwich Doctoral Dissertation Award for having the
top thesis and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor
Society. She went on to complete residency in Internal Medicine and
Medical Genetics at Mount Sinai,
and was Chief Resident in Medical Genetics. Dr. Abul-Husn has
senior-level pharmaceutical industry experience, having served as
director of Translational Genetics at the Regeneron Genetics
Center, during which time she was recognized by a 2017
Westchester's 40 under 40 Rising Star Award.
The Watson Award recognizes those who have demonstrated
innovation in their work and developed or implemented a new
concept, method or idea that has had significant impact on genetic
and genomic medicine. The award was created to honor the role Dr.
Watson played during his nearly 20 years at the helm of ACMG while
the field of genetic and genomic medicine emerged and evolved into
the far-reaching practice it is today, a period during which Dr.
Watson helped ACMG assume its position at the forefront of policy
and guideline development.
"Dr. Noura Abul-Husn is the
perfect recipient for the Dr. Michael S. Watson Genetic and Genomic
Medicine Innovation Award," said Max
Muenke, MD, FACMG, CEO of the ACMG. "Dr. Abul-Husn's
education as an MD, PhD, her training as an internist – medical
geneticist, and her track record of work published in high-profile
journals, make her one of the most influential colleagues to
translate genomic medicine into optimal patient care. I am
personally delighted that Dr. Abul-Husn's work includes a focus on
the care of individuals from diverse populations."
About the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic
Medicine
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 in healthcare. Established in 1992,
the ACMG Foundation supports the American College of Medical
Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) mission to "translate genes into
health." Through its work, the ACMG Foundation fosters charitable
giving, promotes training opportunities to attract future medical
geneticists and genetic counselors to the field, shares information
about medical genetics and genomics, and sponsors important
research. To learn more and support the ACMG Foundation mission to
create "Better Health through Genetics" visit
www.acmgfoundation.org.
Kathy Moran, MBA
kmoran@acmg.net
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dr-noura-abul-husn-receives-the-2021-dr-michael-s-watson-genetic-and-genomic-medicine-innovation-award-from-the-acmg-foundation-for-genetic-and-genomic-medicine-301261563.html
SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics