New Board Members Join American College of Medical Genetics Foundation (ACMGF): Distinguished...

New Board Members Join American College of Medical Genetics Foundation
(ACMGF): Distinguished Executive, Medical and Philanthropic Leaders Bring
Additional Perspectives to the ACMGF Board

BETHESDA, Md., May 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American College of
Medical Genetics Foundation (ACMGF) has announced the election of four new
directors, following its 2009 annual meeting. The board members are active
participants in serving as advocates for the Foundation and for advancing the
policies and programs of the ACMGF.

The incoming directors, who will serve a term of 5 years, are:

Wayne W. Grody, M.D., Ph.D., FACMG, Professor in the Departments of Pathology
& Laboratory Medicine, Pediatrics, and Human Genetics at the UCLA School of
Medicine. He is the founder and director of the Diagnostic Molecular Pathology
Laboratory within the UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Grody is also an attending
physician in the Department of Pediatrics. He has been one of the primary
developers of quality assurance and ethical guidelines for DNA-based genetic
testing for a large number of governmental and professional agencies including
FDA, AMA, CAP, ACMG, ASHG, NCCLS, CDC, NIH-DOE Human Genome Project (ELSI
program), and PSRGN. He did his undergraduate work at Johns Hopkins
University, received his M.D. and Ph.D. at Baylor College of Medicine, and
completed residency and fellowship training at UCLA. He is an ex-officio
member of the Foundation Board as president-elect of the American College of
Medical Genetics.

Richard A. King, M.D., Ph.D., FACMG, Associate Director of the Institute for
Human Genetics at the University of Minnesota and Director of the Genetics
Division, is a renowned geneticist and former Editor-in-Chief of the
peer-reviewed journal, Genetics in Medicine. Dr. King graduated from
Pennsylvania State University and Jefferson Medical College. He was an intern
and resident, and completed the clinical component of a rheumatology
fellowship in the University of Minnesota, Department of Medicine. Following
two years at the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission in Hiroshima, he returned to
the University of Minnesota and obtained his Ph.D. in genetics in 1975.

Timothy T. Stenzel, M.D., Ph.D., FACMG, Chief Medical Officer and Vice
President of Diagnostic Research and Development at Asuragen, Inc. Dr. Stenzel
currently serves on the Strategic Planning Committee for the Association for
Molecular Pathology. He graduated with honors in chemistry from Grinnell
College and is a graduate of the Duke University Medical Scientist Training
Program where he studied the molecular biology of DNA replication and received
his M.D./Ph.D. His residency training in pathology, a NIH-funded genetics
fellowship, and his fellowship in Clinical Molecular Genetics occurred at Duke
as well. He is a member of the following national professional organizations:
ACMG, AMA, AMP, and CAP.

Karen O'Connor Urban, is a community advocate and volunteer who serves as a
member of the Board of Directors of the American Bank, as well as a number of
not-for-profit organizations. She is an active fundraiser whose leadership has
resulted in many successful annual and capital campaigns. Her extensive
background in volunteer service has benefited a diverse array of charitable
organizations which span the visual and performing arts to universities,
health and hospitals. These include, in part, Texas A&M University at Corpus
Christi, Christus Spohn Health System Foundation, the Art Museum of the South
and the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center.

"These four highly qualified leaders each bring a new perspective and talent
to the ACMG Foundation and will help our Board to further the important work
of the Foundation to ensure that genetic discoveries are translated into
better health for all," said R. Rodney Howell, M.D., FACMG, president of the
ACMGF. "The work of the Foundation is critical to the field of medical
genetics today. We are indebted to our current and new leaders for their
longstanding dedication to medical genetics and to the public's health. Each
board member brings important new perspectives and I look forward to working
with them to realize ACMGF's goals."

A complete list of the ACMGF Board of Directors is available at
www.acmgfoundation.org.

The American College of Medical Genetics Foundation is currently comprised of
13 board members who are responsible for formulating long-term goals and
advancing the policies and programs of the Foundation, and for fundraising to
ensure the Foundation's annual and capital goals.

SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics Foundation

Kathy Beal of American College of Medical Genetics Foundation,
+1-301-238-4582, kbeal@acmg.net