Speakers

Dr. Mira Keddis is the director of education for Mayo Clinic’s Center for Individualized Medicine. She is also a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and a consultant in the Division of Nephrology & Hypertension within the Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dr. Keddis focuses on improving cardiovascular evaluation and management of kidney transplant candidates and recipients, with a special emphasis on assessing their access to care and clinical outcomes. Her research is particularly attentive to healthcare delivery for the Native American population both pre- and post-kidney transplant. She concentrates on cardiovascular risk assessment for kidney transplant candidates, the role of cardiac biomarkers in the care and outcomes of kidney transplant patients, and health disparities in access to care and outcomes among Native Americans. Additionally, she investigates the utility of cystatin C in assessing graft function and clinical outcomes in kidney transplant patients.

Dr. Keddis aims to enhance the process of risk stratification prior to kidney transplants and to implement cardioprotective measures that can reduce patient risk after the procedure.

Dr. Palmer leads clinical research in iron overload disorders, particularly hereditary hemochromatosis. As the medical director of the Hereditary Hemochromatosis Clinic, he oversees the evaluation and treatment of patients globally afflicted with iron overload disorders. He orchestrates a multidisciplinary team of specialists and employs cutting-edge diagnostics to ensure comprehensive patient care. Additionally, he manages a significant clinical iron overload database to drive ongoing research efforts. He also contributes to research endeavors addressing gastrointestinal endoscopy, patient-provider education, and various chronic liver diseases.

His research pursuits focus on several key areas, including advanced liver imaging in iron overload, lifestyle education in iron overload management, the impact of direct-to-consumer genetic testing on iron overload, and identifying risk factors for severe arthritis in iron overload patients.

Dr. Palmer aims to enhance patient health through education, minimize the necessity for invasive and costly procedures, and improve the identification of patients susceptible to preventable complications.

Dr. Denise Dupras is the associate education director for Mayo Clinic’s Center for Individualized Medicine in Minnesota. She also serves as an associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and is a consultant in the Division of Community Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care within the Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Dr. Dupras dedicates her efforts to advancing medical education through research. Recently, she conducted an analysis of data sourced from internal medicine program directors and residents. This investigation aimed to pinpoint deficiencies in existing curricula concerning health disparities education across diverse patient populations.

Her research is primarily focused on enhancing health disparities education within internal medicine residency programs. Her findings underscore the critical need for physicians to undergo comprehensive training in health disparities. This training equips them to deliver tailored care to underserved patient demographics. Ultimately, she believes that enhancing educational initiatives at the institutional level could lead to significant improvements in patient outcomes, particularly among minority, vulnerable, disadvantaged, or underrepresented populations.

Dr. Konstantinos Lazaridis is the Carlson and Nelson Endowed Executive Director at the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine. Additionally, he is a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and serves as a consultant in both the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and the Department of Clinical Genomics within the Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Dr. Lazaridis specializes in gastroenterology at Mayo Clinic, focusing his research efforts on unraveling the underlying causes of certain rare liver diseases. His primary area of interest lies in understanding the interplay between genetic predisposition and environmental factors in conditions such as primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. These progressive cholestatic liver diseases often result in liver failure and reduced life expectancy, believed to be triggered by immune system-mediated damage to epithelial cells lining the bile ducts. Despite the known genetic susceptibility and environmental influences, treatment options remain limited due to incomplete understanding of these interactions. His research aims to uncover the underlying mechanisms of these conditions in the pursuit of more effective treatments.

His research efforts are primarily concentrated in two areas. First, he oversees the largest research resource in the United States comprising people with primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Second, he systematically investigates genetic and environmental factors predisposing people to these liver diseases, utilizing cutting-edge experimental techniques alongside the extensive research repository.

Dr. Lazaridis and his dedicated research team are committed to advancing the understanding of genetic susceptibility and environmental risk factors associated with chronic cholestatic liver diseases. Their overarching objective is to improve prognosis and treatment options for affected individuals.

Dr. Timothy Curry holds multiple roles at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, including William O. Lund, Jr. and Natalie C. Lund Program Director for Clinomics, Midwest Associate Director for Clinical Implementation Medicine at the Center for Individualized Medicine, Vice Chair for Clinical Practice, and consultant in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine. He is also a professor of anesthesiology and an assistant professor of physiology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

In his research pursuits, Dr. Curry focuses on understanding the complexities of the autonomic nervous system. Specifically, his investigations delve into its involvement in cardiovascular control, insulin sensitivity, lipolysis and energy expenditure.

Dr. Timothy Curry collaborates with researchers from various departments, including Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, as well as the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition. He conducts his research primarily at the Human Integrative Physiology and Clinical Pharmacology Laboratory and the Clinical Research Unit at Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, Saint Marys Campus.

Dr. Curry’s research interests encompass human physiology, perioperative clinical outcomes, and environmental physiology. His research endeavors are particularly focused on unraveling the role of the sympathetic nervous system in blood pressure regulation and insulin sensitivity. Through these investigations, he and his colleagues aim to deepen their understanding of sympathetic nervous system function, ultimately leading to the development of innovative strategies for the prevention and treatment of related diseases and improving patient outcomes.

Dr. Eric Klee is the Everett J. and Jane M. Hauck Midwest Associate Director for Research and Innovation at Mayo Clinic’s Center for Individualized Medicine. He also serves as the Director of the Omics Data Platform and Bioinformatics and Translational Omics Program at the center, and a professor of Biomedical Informatics at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. Additionally, Dr. Klee is the Enterprise Co-Leader of Cancer Informatics & Data Science at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center and serves as a consultant in both the Division of Computational Biology within the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, and the Department of Clinical Genomics at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Dr. Klee focuses his research on the translational application of omics data in clinical settings, emphasizing novel methods and application development. His research spans various areas, including rare and undiagnosed Mendelian diseases, state-of-the-art analytics for omics technologies, and integrative multiomic profiling. Additionally, he leads efforts to establish standardized omics infrastructure at Mayo Clinic to support the organization’s digitization drive.

With a focus on rare and undiagnosed diseases, omics data platforms, RNA-Assisted Diagnosis and Treatment (RADIANT), and population-level genetic interpretation, Dr. Klee aims to integrate genomic medicine into clinical practice and research, to revolutionize patient testing and directly impact patient care.

Dr. Victor Ortega is the associate director in Arizona for Mayo Clinic’s Center for Individualized Medicine. He is also a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and a senior associate consultant, in both the Division of Pulmonary Medicine within the Department of Internal Medicine, and the Division of Epidemiology, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences. Additionally, Dr. Ortega is an appointed member of the Assembly on Allergy, Immunology, and Inflammation Program Committee.

Dr. Ortega’s research explores how DNA variants in the human genome impact people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). His investigations delve into why certain individuals with these respiratory conditions face a higher risk of severe disease or exhibit poor responses to asthma and COPD medications.

His genomic research emphasizes supporting ancestral diversity and including underrepresented minorities affected by respiratory diseases. His efforts have led to significant genetic discoveries reported in prestigious journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, and The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health. With a large research portfolio spanning genomic studies across various National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded networks focused on asthma and COPD, his work contributes to advancing understanding in the field.

Dr. Ortega’s focus areas include the study of rare genetic variants and the exploration of whole-genome genotyping and sequencing data to uncover both common and rare genetic variants. Notably, his trial was the first to identify and confirm gene variants influencing response to asthma controller drugs among people of African descent. His research ensures that the benefits of genomics are accessible to all, including minority groups.

Dr. R. John Presutti is an associate professor of family medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He serves as the interim associate director in Florida for the Center for Individualized Medicine and is the chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.

Dr. Presutti is a family medicine physician with a keen focus on integrating genomics into everyday medical decision-making.

Recognizing the growing trend of patients using direct-to-consumer genetic testing, Dr. Presutti saw an opportunity to enhance patient care by recommending genetic counseling and testing based on family history. His efforts are aimed at identifying patients at high risk for cancer, facilitating early screenings and preventing metastatic cancer and early cancer deaths. Dr. Presutti works closely with the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Individualized Medicine to unravel the complexities of the human genome, enhancing the ability to precisely diagnose, treat and predict diseases.

Cathy Wurzer is the host of Morning Edition for MPR News. She is also the co-host of Almanac, a weekly public affairs program for which she has won four Emmy Awards. Wurzer also started a new radio show titled ‘Minnesota Now.’

Prior to MPR News, she was an anchor and reporter for WCCO-TV, a talk show host for WCCO-AM radio, a producer for KMSP-TV, and political reporter for KSTP-AM radio. Wurzer is the author of ‘Tales of the Road: Highway 61.’

She received degrees in broadcast journalism and urban studies from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Dr. Philip Landrigan is the director of the Global Public Health Program and Global Pollution Observatory at the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, as well as an epidemiologist and pediatrician at Boston College. He is also a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Dr. Philip Landrigan utilizes epidemiological tools to investigate the relationships between toxic chemicals and human health, with a particular emphasis on infants and children. His research aims to understand how toxic chemicals impact the developing brains and nervous systems of children, translating this knowledge into public policies to safeguard health.

His research focus spans several areas, including children’s environmental health, occupational health, and global public health. Dr. Landrigan has conducted extensive studies on the effects of environmental toxins such as lead and pesticides on children’s health. Additionally, he has conducted pivotal research in occupational medicine, shedding light on the health risks associated with workplace exposures. Furthermore, Dr. Landrigan is actively involved in assessing and addressing the global burden of disease caused by pollution.

Dr. Landrigan’s research has directly influenced patient care practices and public health policies, leading to significant improvements in health outcomes.

Tania Simoncelli is the vice president of Science in Society at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where she has been since 2017 with a vision to build a program committed to centering patients in the biomedical research ecosystem. In 2019, she launched the Rare As One Project, a first-of-its-kind program that supports patient communities in their quest to accelerate research.

With 20 years of experience in science policy and advocacy, Simoncelli previously held roles at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, US Food and Drug Administration, and American Civil Liberties Union. In 2013, the journal Nature named her “one of 10 people who mattered” for spearheading the ACLU’s successful Supreme Court case challenging the patenting of human genes.

Erica Barnes is the executive director of the Minnesota Rare Disease Advisory Council, which is an executive branch state agency. Erica graduated from the University of Minnesota with a master’s in communication disorders and was a speech-language pathologist prior to shifting her work to improving health systems for the rare disease community. She has over a decade of advocacy and non-profit leadership experience, having co-founded the Chloe’s Fight Rare Disease Foundation with her husband following the death of their daughter. Erica has a number of committee roles related to rare diseases. She chairs the NIH funded Global Leukodystrophy Initiative Clinical Trials Network patient advocacy consortium, serves as a member of the Minnesota Prescription Drug Affordability Board, participates in several taskforces in the Minnesota Department of Health, and holds membership in the Center for Orphan Drug Research at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Stephen Boppart is a professor and the Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also serves as director of the NIH/NIBIB P41 Center for Label-free Imaging and Multi-scale Biophotonics. Additionally, he is the interim director of the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute and director of the Center for Optical Molecular Imaging at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at UIUC. Dr. Boppart is a noted expert in engineering and bioengineering.

Dr. Boppart’s research focuses on advancing optical biomedical imaging technologies for clinical applications. With a distinguished academic background from MIT and Harvard Medical School, he has authored numerous publications and holds multiple patents in this field. He has also received accolades, such as being named one of MIT’s Top 100 Young Innovators. Dr. Boppart has founded several startup companies to commercialize his technologies and is a fellow of multiple scientific societies. Currently serving as the interim director of the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute, he spearheads efforts to foster collaboration in health research.

Dr. Boppart’s research spans several focus areas, including the development and translation of optical biomedical diagnostic and imaging technologies, integrating engineering and medicine, mentoring interdisciplinary researchers, and promoting collaboration in health research.

Through his innovative optical biomedical imaging technologies, Dr. Boppart  impacts patient care by enabling early disease detection and personalized treatment planning, thereby improving patient outcomes. As a mentor and advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration, he ensures ongoing innovation in healthcare delivery, benefiting patients globally.

Dr. Eva Carmona Porquera is an associate professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota. She serves as a consultant in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Immunology.

Dr. Carmona Porquera’s research focuses on lung defense, infection, and fibrosis. She investigates lung defense mechanisms in immunocompromised hosts and studies the mechanisms of lung fibrosis in idiopathic interstitial pneumonias.

Her research encompasses several focus areas, including the modulation of host immune defense by pneumocystis beta-glucans, the role of B cells in the development of pulmonary fibrosis, and genomic and proteomic analyses of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) lung disease.

Dr. Carmona Porquera’s work is clinically relevant, as it aims to enhance immunity in patients with defective immune systems and predict patients at risk of developing lung fibrosis. Her research also contributes to the development of more accurate diagnostic tools for LAM disease.

Dr. Camerron Crowder is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She applies genetic and molecular approaches to deepen understanding of development, cellular signaling, and neuronal function. Additionally, she serves as the assistant director of the Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute and is an associate scientist at the Civitan International Research Center at the Heersink School of Medicine.

Dr. Crowder investigates how genetic mutations, environmental factors, and chemicals influence or disrupt cellular signaling associated with nervous system functioning. Dr. Crowder’s research involves working with various biological organisms, including bacteria, corals, sea anemones, and zebrafish. Her dedication to teaching has led her to develop and teach multiple courses in the biological sciences, covering topics such as molecular genetics, neurogenetics, neuroplasticity, human anatomy and physiology, and cellular biology. Dr. Crowder has also obtained certifications and expanded her knowledge of teaching practices and pedagogy through the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL).

Dr. Melissa Davis is the director of the Institute of Translational Genomic Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine and holds the position of scientific director at the International Center for the Study of Breast Cancer Subtypes. She also serves as the interim director of Health Equity for the Englander Institute of Precision Medicine and is an associate professor and research faculty member in the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine. 

Davis earned her Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the University of Georgia and completed postdoctoral fellowships in functional genomics and systems biology at Yale School of Medicine and the University of Chicago. During her tenure at the University of Chicago, she began her research into the biological mechanisms driving racial disparities in cancer risk and clinical outcomes. 

Her research has revealed unique genetic signatures in breast and prostate tumors of African and African American patients, enriching our understanding of aggressive tumor progression and offering novel opportunities for precision medicine in minority populations. Dr. Davis’s current focus involves investigating the role of a gene named DARC (ACKR1) in the tumor-specific immune and inflammatory response. Her work suggests that the unique immune response in tumors of African Americans may contribute to worse clinical outcomes but also presents opportunities for novel targeted therapies.

Dr. Jeroen de Ridder is the associate director and principal investigator at the Center for Molecular Medicine of the UMC Utrecht and a junior investigator at the Oncode Institute. 

De Ridder earned his master’s degree in electrical engineering cum laude from Delft University of Technology in 2005. He completed his Ph.D,. focusing on pathway discovery in insertional mutagenesis data, at the Delft Bioinformatics Lab and the Netherlands Cancer Institute. From 2010 to 2016, he served as an assistant professor at the Delft Bioinformatics Lab before transitioning to his current role. A recipient of Veni and Vidi career grants, de Ridder is also a co-founder of Cyclomics BV and serves on the board of the Utrecht Bioinformatics Center and the ULS program board. 

Dr. Bradley Erickson is a professor of radiology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota. He also serves as a consultant in the Department of Radiology and the Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics within the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences at Mayo Clinic. 

 Dr. Erickson’s research focuses on advancing computer-aided diagnosis and leveraging technology to extract diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic information from medical images. His work involves developing and validating algorithms capable of detecting disease progression, regression, or risk, and predicting molecular markers from medical images. His research areas include quantitative imaging, computer-aided diagnosis, and the study of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). 

Dr. Erickson’s efforts aim to enhance the capabilities of radiologists by improving the efficiency, reliability, and consistency of medical imaging interpretation.

Dr. Shawn Ferguson is an associate professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Yale University School of Medicine, where he has held a tenured position for the past 14 years.  His research primarily focuses on the cell biology of neurons, emphasizing the role of lysosome function in maintaining neuronal health and understanding neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, his lab is investigating a neurodevelopmental disorder linked to mutations in the MAPK8IP3 gene, using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to develop potential therapeutic strategies.

Allison Herrity is a senior policy analyst at the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). She joined NORD in 2018 shortly after being diagnosed with a rare condition. Herrity served as a policy intern and policy fellow before becoming a full-time staff member in 2020. In her current role, she is responsible for overseeing NORD’s policy work related to newborn screening, genetic testing, and federal step therapy. 

Dr. Amy Jenkins is the director of Health Science Futures at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). She joined ARPA-H in March 2023 from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where she was a program manager in the Biological Technologies Office. 

Her research interests include novel platforms for combating infectious diseases, as well as innovative manufacturing techniques capable of rapidly responding to a wide range of microbial threats. 

Before joining DARPA, Jenkins was a senior scientist for Gryphon Technologies and a researcher at MedImmune. Her work at that time focused on virulence factors and antibody targeting in multi-drug– resistant pathogens. Jenkins earned a doctorate in chemistry and chemical biology from Cornell University and completed a National Research Council postdoctoral fellowship at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. 

Dr. Iftikhar Kullo is a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota. He serves as a consultant in the Division of Preventive Cardiology, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. Dr. Kullo also holds directorships at the Cardio Genomics Clinic and the Early Atherosclerosis Pain Clinic within the same division. Additionally, he is a member of the Clinical and Integrative Cardiovascular Science Study Section at the Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

Dr. Kullo’s primary research interest centers on biomarkers of cardiovascular risk. Through his Atherosclerosis and Lipid Genomics Laboratory, he investigates novel methodologies to refine cardiovascular risk stratification, including genetic markers, circulating biomarkers and noninvasive tests of arterial function and structure. 

His research spans various focus areas, including the genetics of arterial plaques (atherosclerosis), familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), implementi genomic medicine in electronic health records (EHRs), genomic discovery using EHRs, proteomic markers for vascular disease, arterial stiffness and ventricular arterial interactions, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and the establishment of a vascular diseases’ biorepository. 

Dr. Kullo’s laboratory aims to enhance the prediction of adverse cardiovascular events in asymptomatic individuals by utilizing genetic susceptibility markers, circulating biomarkers, and measurements of arterial function. 

Dr. Razelle Kurzrock is the Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Endowed Chair of Precision Oncology. She is a world-renowned leader in precision oncology and rare cancers research, serving as the associate director of Clinical Research for the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Cancer Center and the associate director of Precision Oncology at the Linda T. and John A. Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine. Dr. Kurzrock is also the founding director of the Michels Rare Cancers Research Laboratories at the MCW Cancer Center. 

Dr. Kurzrock’s research focuses on precision oncology, particularly targeting rare cancers. Recognized as one of the world’s 25 most important voices in precision medicine and one of the most highly cited scientists globally. She has authored over 950 scientific and medical publications. She chairs the Early Therapeutics and Rare Cancers Committee for the SWOG Cancer Research Network NCI (National Cancer Institute), one of the largest clinical trials cooperative groups in the United States. As the principal investigator for more than 100 early-phase clinical trials, Dr. Kurzrock has led eight life-changing drugs to FDA approval. In 2022, she and the DART rare cancer study team received the National Cancer Institute Director’s Award of Merit for their outstanding work. 

Dr. Laura Lambert is an associate consultant I in Physiology and Biomedical Engineering at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, with joint appointments in Clinical Genomics and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She serves as the director of the Mayo Clinic Functional Omics Resource, where she leads the design and execution of functional genomic studies across the institution. Dr. Lambert has extensive experience in developing precision cell and animal models for studying rare genetic diseases. Her work includes applying these models to analyze the pathogenicity of genetic changes and to explore innovative therapeutic strategies for ultra-rare conditions. Her research primarily focuses on gene therapy and other individualized therapeutic approaches such as exon skipping, ribozymes, CRISPR activation and interference, prime editing, and base editing, particularly using nanoparticle-based delivery systems.

Dr. Cherisse Marcou is an assistant professor and consultant in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, serving as co-director and vice chair of IT and Bioinformatics in the Clinical Genomics laboratory. She is also co-director of the Digital Omics program within the Center for Individualized Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Marcou received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences – Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics in 2013 from the Mayo Graduate School and subsequently completed American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics fellowships in both Clinical Cytogenetics and Clinical Molecular Genetics. Dr. Marcou joined the Mayo Clinic Genomics Laboratory in 2018 and currently oversees Hereditary NGS testing and BioIT innovation in the laboratory. Her interests include utilizing molecular technologies to interrogate the genome, structural variation in the human genome, classification and interpretation of sequence and copy number variants, and the genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders. Additionally, Dr. Marcou is interested in exploring ways to leverage large data sets and exploit emerging technologies such as AI, to improve laboratory processes and patient outcomes. 

Dr. Alison Motsinger-Reif is the chief of the Biostatistics and Computational Biology Branch and a senior investigator. Her research is centered on developing statistical methods to understand complex diseases by integrating genetic, metabolomic, and environmental data. Her lab has pioneered new approaches for boosted tree models, nonlinear dose-response modeling, and detecting gene-environment interactions, with a strong emphasis on pharmacogenomics. 

Dr. Motsinger-Reif is also the co-principal investigator of the Personalized Environment and Genes Study (PEGS), which collects comprehensive health and genomic data to facilitate exposome research and gene-environment interaction discovery. Additionally, her lab collaborates on various projects utilizing high throughput “omic” technologies to study complex diseases and drug responses. 

Dr. Stephen Murphy is the director of the Advanced Diagnostics Laboratory in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (DLMP) at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He has a joint appointment in DLMP Laboratory Genetics and Genomics and the Department of Experimental Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. He is also an assistant professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the Mayo Medical College of Medicine and Science. He has multiple peer reviewed publications in clinical genomics and is focused on engineering diagnostic test innovation through partnering with research, clinical practice and industry collaboration partnerships.

The research of Dr. Ngufor is centered on the idea that the understanding of patient phenotypes and heterogeneity of treatments across the different disease populations is still limited. This situation persists even though this knowledge is important for clinical and public health efforts to address poor outcomes in areas such as cancer, heart failure, diabetes and obstetrics. Dr. Ngufor uses core multimodal research approaches in data science and artificial intelligence to disentangle this heterogeneity and improve early prediction of longitudinal disease progressions.

Dr. Ngufor investigates state-of-the-art technologies and develops core machine-learning approaches. He uses statistical learning theory to model and analyze health care data. His goal is to develop and apply core methodologies that leverage structure in multimodality electronic health records and enhance representational power. This will improve accuracy and scalability with theoretical guarantees, demonstrating the effectiveness of the learning strategy.

Dr. R. John Presutti is an associate professor of family medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He serves as the interim associate director in Florida for the Center for Individualized Medicine and is the chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Dr. Presutti is a family medicine physician with a keen focus on integrating genomics into everyday medical decision-making. 

Recognizing the growing trend of patients using direct-to-consumer genetic testing, Dr. Presutti saw an opportunity to enhance patient care by recommending genetic counseling and testing based on family history. His efforts are aimed at identifying patients at high risk for cancer, facilitating early screenings, and preventing metastatic cancer and early cancer deaths. Dr. Presutti works closely with the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Individualized Medicine to unravel the complexities of the human genome, enhancing the ability to precisely diagnose, treat, and predict diseases. 

Naomi Wagner is a certified genetic counselor specializing in hematology at UC San Diego Health’s Hemophilia & Thrombosis Treatment Center. Her expertise includes providing genetic counseling and testing for hereditary conditions. Naomi’s work focuses on the genetic aspects of hematologic conditions, helping patients understand their genetic risks and navigate their healthcare options. 

Dr. Marina Walther-Antonio is an assistant professor of surgery at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. She is also an associate consultant I in the Division of Research, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and the Department of Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The research focus of Dr. Walther-Antonio is on the role of the human microbiome in women’s health, particularly gynecologic cancers. Her primary goal is to utilize microbiome signatures to predict the development of malignancies and intervene before they materialize. By bridging environmental microbiology methodologies and single-cell technologies from astrobiological pursuits with clinical platforms, she aims to translate her findings into patient care. Dr. Walther-Antonio’s interdisciplinary research team, composed of scientists, physicians, and engineers, is oriented towards solving complex health problems. 

Dr. Walther-Antonio’s research places a strong emphasis on developing biomarkers for endometrial cancer, understanding the microbiome’s role in endometrial and ovarian cancers, and identifying microbiome signatures associated with ovarian cancer recurrence. Her work on a single-cell microbial platform is particularly innovative. The predictive and early detection tests she is developing for endometrial and ovarian cancers could lead to significant advancements in preventive care. Since manipulating the microbiome is less challenging than altering human cells, her research represents a promising therapeutic target with the potential for substantial clinical impact. 

Dr. Michael Zimmer is a principal scientist at Moderna, Inc. and the associate director of biology at Catabasis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  He is a talented and creative biochemist with eight years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in rare diseases. He has demonstrated expertise in small molecule drug discovery, with a proven track record of advancing multiple compounds from early-stage preclinical development to first-in-human studies.  

Dr. Zimmer is proficient in biochemical assay design, assay development, mechanism-of-action studies and biomarker identification. He has successfully led a small team of biologists, thriving in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment. His skills include data analysis, assay troubleshooting, training and mentoring junior scientists and collaborating with CROs and academic groups.