Cynthia M. Powell, MD, MS, FAAP, Professor of Pediatrics, in the Division of Genetics and Metabolism, received the Outstanding Academic Service Award in recognition of her groundbreaking work in genetics and newborn screening as well as her trusted partnership with pediatricians across North Carolina.
Alexis Darling joined Genetics and Metabolism on August 15, 2024. Ms. Darling received her Bachelor of Science degree from Colorado State in Fort Collins, CO in December of 2019. She received her MS in Genetic Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in May of 2024. Welcome Alexis!
Michaela Reinhart, MD joined the Pediatric Division of Genetics & Metabolism on August 15, 2024. Dr. Reinhart received her MD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May of 2019. She also received her Bachelor of Science degree from Clemson University in Clemson, SC in May of 2015. Additionally, she completed Pediatrics Medical Genetics Residency and Medical Biochemical Genetics Fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Welcome back Michaela!
Ivy Gwynn, PA-C, joined the Muenzer MPS center in the Pediatric division of Genetics & Metabolism as an Advanced Practice Practitioner on August 12, 2024. Ms. Gwynn received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2014 and her her MS in Physician Assistant Studies from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC in August of 2016. Welcome Ivy!
The Department of Pediatrics is thrilled to welcome Samuel M. Young, Jr., PhD as a Roper Investigator, Professor with Tenure and Director of the UNC Gene Therapy Center. Dr. Young joined the Department on June 28th, 2024. Dr. Young joins us from the University of Iowa where he is currently appointed as a Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and serves as the Director of the Molecular Auditory Research in the Department of Otolaryngology.
Welcome to Melissa A. Haendel, PhD, FACMI, as the Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor in the Department of Genetics. In addition to her primary appointment, she will also be appointed as professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Data Science and Society.
A research study named Early Check has screened 1,000 newborns after birth in an effort to help identify rare conditions early, provide treatment, give parents educational information, and connect families with specialists throughout the state of North Carolina.
Dr. Cara Beth Carr, Assistant Professor in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Dr. Clara Hildebrandt, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Genetics & Metabolism, Dr. Elisabeth Leong, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Cardiology, and Dr. Lindsay Marszal, Assistant Professor in General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine have been selected to be a part of the 2023-2024 Passing the Torch Cohort.
This RTI/UNC-Chapel Hill collaboration will be the first US study offering genome sequencing and genetic risk scores for type 1 diabetes statewide. UNC School of Medicine leads are Cynthia Powell, MD and Jennifer Law, MD in Pediatrics. Early Check, a groundbreaking research study that provides free health tests to newborns up to four weeks old in North Carolina, will begin offering genome sequencing to screen for hundreds of childhood-onset genetic conditions and assess a newborn’s risk of developing type 1 diabetes in their lifetime. Enrollment for the expanded study is expected to begin Thursday, Sept. 28.
Jennifer Sullivan joined Genetics and Metabolism on August 21, 2022. In 1994, Ms. Sullivan received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She received a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina in 1996. Ms. Sullivan has worked as a Genetic Counselor at Duke University since 1997. Welcome Jennifer!
