Postdoctoral Training Program in Genomic Medicine

Award #: T32 GM139799

Project periodJuly 2021 – June 2026
Predoc slots0
Postdoc slots2

This is a NIGMS-funded program to support physician-scientists who are engaging in medical genetics research. There are too few medical geneticists to meet the growing need for our services. As a result, much of medical genetics testing, diagnosis, counseling and management occurs outside of our field and is instead practiced by physicians who receive little specific training.

Our goals are, therefore, twofold:

  • To mentor future medical geneticists who are embarking on a career in academic medicine and grow the medical genetics workforce
  • To provide medical genetics training to physician-scientists in other fields who engage in medical genetics-related research, which will enhance the clinical knowledge-base of those specialists who may be most likely to use genetic testing or treatments in their practices.

Trainees may choose from four focus areas, which represent patient care needs with particularly rapid growth: cancer, rare and undiagnosed diseases, gene-environment interaction and neurodegeneration.

Major strengths of this program include active medical and laboratory genetics training programs, in-house clinical cytogenetics laboratory, biochemical laboratory and sequencing capability, a large number of centers and groups performing genomic studies, including Undiagnosed Diseases Network clinical and model organism screening center sites, the McDonnell Genome Institute, the Cancer Atlas Network, the Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, and others.

Washington University provides an outstanding mentorship environment and infrastructure for genetics research with an emphasis on collaboration and a superb track record of producing physician-scientists. This programs takes advantage of the wealth of genetics research, clinical and research training and mentorship that is thriving on our campus to train those scientists who will bring innovative diagnostics, therapeutics and data-driven practice to the clinic.

Principal Investigators/Program Directors

Patricia Dickson, MD

Patricia I. Dickson, MD

Centennial Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics
Division Chief, Genetics and Genomic Medicine

Jorge Di Paola

Jorge Di Paola, MD

Professor of Pediatrics & Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Elizabeth Finney McDonnell Endowed Chair in Pediatric Hematology Oncology
Division Chief, Hematology & Oncology

  Di Paola lab

Mentors

Program FacultyDepartment or InstitutionRole in Program
Cole, F. SessionsPediatrics / Newborn MedicinePreceptor
Constantino, JohnPsychiatryPreceptor
Cooper, JonathanPediatrics / Genetics & GenomicsPreceptor
Cooper, MeganPediatrics / RheumatologyPreceptor
Cruchaga, CarlosPsychiatryPreceptor
Ding, LiInternal Medicine / OncologyPreceptor
Di Paola, JorgePediatrics / Hematology & OncologyPreceptor / Co-PI
Dickson, PatriciaPediatrics / Genetics & GenomicsPreceptor
Dipersio, JohnInternal Medicine / Bone Marrow TransplantPreceptor
Dougherty, JosephGeneticsPreceptor
Dutcher, SusanGeneticsPreceptor
Gordon, JeffreyLaboratory / Genomic MedicinePreceptor
Grange, DorthyPediatrics / Genetics & GenomicsPreceptor
Gurnett, ChristinaPediatrics / NeurologyPreceptor
Gutmann, DavidNeurologyPreceptor
Kornfeld, StuartInternal Medicine / HematologyPreceptor
Kornfeld, StuartInternal Medicine-HematologyPreceptor
Ley, TimothyInternal Medicine / Bone Marrow TransplantPreceptor
Link, DanielInternal Medicine / Bone Marrow TransplantPreceptor
Milbrandt, JeffreyGeneticsPreceptor
Miller, TimothyNeurologyPreceptor
Province, MichaelGenetics / Statistics GenomicsPreceptor
Sands, MarkInternal Medicine / Bone Marrow TransplantPreceptor
Schedl, TimGeneticsPreceptor
Silverman, GaryPediatrics / Newborn MedicinePreceptor
Silverman, Gary A.PediatricsPreceptor
Wambach, JenniferPediatrics / Newborn MedicinePreceptor
Wang, TingGeneticsPreceptor