Master of Science in Human Genetics and Genomics – Online
Faculty
Advisory Board
GeneDx Co-Founder and Managing Director
Dr. Sherri Bale is a Board-Certified Ph.D. Medical Geneticist and a Founding Member of the American College of Medical Genetics. She has more than 40 years’ experience in clinical, cytogenetic, and molecular genetics research and diagnostic testing and has authored over 160 papers, book chapters, and books. Sherri founded GeneDx after 16 years at the National Institutes of Health, the last nine as head of the Genetic Studies Section in the Laboratory of Skin Biology at the NIAMS. She is known both nationally and internationally for her work in identifying the basis of hereditary diseases, especially those affecting the skin, and for bringing clinical grade molecular testing to the rare disease community of patients and families.
Bioinformatics, genomics and technology leader with experience in basic research, translational research and clinical diagnostics
Dr. Deanna Church has spent much of her career dedicated to ensuring the highest-quality reading of genomes, and ensuring that tools to utilize genomics resources were accessible to all. Now she is focused on empowering scientists to write genomes through a scalable, efficient approach. As Vice President, Mammalian Business Area and Software Strategy at Inscripta, Dr. Church aims to apply the company’s novel Digital Genome Engineering technology to mammalian systems and to ensure that our software platform provides a world class experience for our customers. Prior to this she served as Senior Director of Applications at 10x Genomics, where she led a dynamic team of scientists working on pioneering new methods in functional genomics, and as Senior Director of Genomics and Content at Personalis, where she helped advance the field of genomics-based clinical diagnostics. Dr. Church began her career as a staff scientist at NCBI, where she contributed significantly to the human and mouse reference genomes by establishing an international collaboration (The Genome Reference Consortium) to ensure these reference assemblies continued to improve once the Human Genome Project completed. Additionally, she spearheaded many projects at NCBI to develop tools for improved representation and visualization of human and model organism genomes. She earned her BA in liberal arts from the University of Virginia and her doctoral degree in the biological sciences at the University of California, Irvine, with Dr. John Wasmuth. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in developmental biology with Dr. Janet Rossant at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toront
Director and Professor at the Utah Tech University Center for Precision Medicine
Dr. Howard McLeod is an internationally recognized expert in precision medicine, having made novel contributions at the discovery, translation, implementation, and policy levels. He is the Director and Professor at the Utah Tech University Center for Precision Medicine and Functional Genomics and a Precision Medicine Advisor at the Geriatric Oncology Consortium. He has implemented or advised implementation of precision medicine at integrated health systems, academic medical centers, and community practices in the USA and Internationally. Dr McLeod was a recent member of both the FDA committee on Clinical Pharmacology and the NIH Human Genome Advisory Council. Dr McLeod has been recognized as a Fellow of both the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. He was recently recognized as #1 USA/#2 Global for Pharmacogenomics Expertise. He has also been an active Board Member and/or Founder for over a dozen privately held and publicly traded companies. Howard has published over 600 peer reviewed papers on precision medicine, pharmacogenomics, or clinical pharmacology and continues to work to advance innovative healthcare.
Assistant Director of Professional Development at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
Dr. Kanika Pulliam is the Assistant Director of Professional Development at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). With a Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from Emory University, she brings over 15 years of experience in program implementation and association management to her role. At ASBMB, Dr. Pulliam leads professional development strategies for molecular life scientists, focusing on career paths, diversity and inclusion, and workforce development. Her expertise spans career development, event management, and digital programming.Previously, Dr. Pulliam held positions as a Business Consultant at McKinley Advisors and Director of Career Programs & Workforce Diversity at the American Society of Human Genetics. She is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and actively participates in professional organizations like ASAE and CESSE.Known for her strategic partnerships and advocacy for diversity in the scientific workforce, Dr. Pulliam continues to make significant contributions to professional development in biochemistry and molecular biology.