Clinical Genetics

Fellowship

Medical Genetics        Cytogenetics/Molecular Genetics

Medical Genetics

The Department of Pediatrics sponsors an accredited residency in Medical Genetics, and encourages students who are planning to do a pediatric residency to consider Genetics as a subspecialty. This may be done in several ways:

• As a 2-year residency at the conclusion of the full 3-year pediatric residency, thereby being board-eligible in both Pediatrics and Medical Genetics.
• As a 2-year residency at the conclusion of 2 years of the pediatric residency, thereby being board-eligible in Medical Genetics.

The Training Program
The Department of Pediatrics is enthusiastic about recruiting research-oriented residents and fellows who are interested in genetics. It is clear that Clinical Genetics extends beyond its traditional concern with dysmorphic/"syndromic" phenotypes and highly penetrant monogenic disorders, to the analysis of genetically more complex disorders such as metabolic diseases (diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemias), inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune disorders, developmental disorders of heart, brain, etc, susceptibility and response to infection (e.g. HIV), osteoporosis, degenerative nervous system disease, and cancer susceptibility. Molecular diagnostic techniques, reagents, and clinical interventions are expanding exponentially as specific genes are implicated in specific phenotypes related to human disease.

All individuals making contact with the medical system will, in the near future, benefit from genetic insights related to diagnosis, treatments, and response to treatment. This is because virtually all human disease is the result of genetic and environmental interactions whose nature will become much clearer as the relevant genes are identified. Accordingly, medical school and hospital activities in Human Genetics are being greatly expanded. This expansion includes a major restructuring of the medical school curriculum, and an extensive, ongoing educational program for house staff, fellows (in both clinical and basic science), and faculty. Because of its clinical responsibility for prenatal/pediatric diagnostics in genetics, for children with chromosomal aneuploidies (Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, etc), and early onset monogenetic disorders (cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, phenylketonuria), Pediatrics is the core of the residency in Human Genetics. However, while Pediatrics is a focal point for activities in clinical and diagnostic genetics, these resources are widely available to all clinical and research venues in the institution, and genetics services are expanding to other areas of internal medicine and neurology.

The Medical Genetics training programs consists of inpatient and outpatient care of prenatal, pediatric, and adult patients with a wide variety of genetic disorders including specialty clinics for fetal therapy, craniofacial disorders, sickle cell disease, hemophelia, cystic fibrosis, congenital cardiac disease, cardiomyopathies, inherited arrhythmias, vascular anomalies, breast/ovarian/colon cancer high risk families, movement disorders, muscular dystrophies, Huntington disease, and neurodegenerative disorders. Time is also spent in all of the genetic diagnostic laboratories including cytogenetics, biochemical genetics, and DNA molecular diagnostics. Trainees are required to take graduate courses in genetics relevant to their ultimate career goals. The last six months of the training program is dedicated to research in the lab of the trainee’s choice.

Applicants to residency in medical genetics should submit a cover letter, CV, a complete application, and three letters of recommendation to:

Kwame Yeboa
3959 Broadway
BH6N-601A
New York, NY 10032
ka8@columbia.edu

Cytogenetics/Molecular Genetics

The Department of Pediatrics sponsors an accredited fellowships in cytogenetics and molecular genetics. Training in one area takes 2 years and one additional year to complete training in both areas.

The Training Program
Fellows attend didactic lectures, conferences, and clinics weekly. During the first year of fellowship, they spend the remainder of their time in the diagnostic labs assuming increasing amounts of responsibility for running and developing diagnostic tests, quality control and quality assurance, reviewing and signing out case reports, and discussing cases with referring physicians. Fellows are expected to present at conferences take an annual in service examination to monitor their progress.

Applicants to the fellowship in cytogenetics or molecular genetics should submit a cover letter, CV and three letters of recommendation to:

Wendy Chung, MD PhD
Director of Clinical Genetics
Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics Fellowship Director
1150 St. Nicholas Avenue, Room 620
New York, NY 10032
wkc15@columbia.edu

Applicants to the fellowship in cytogenetics or molecular genetics should submit their applications from July 1- November 1 in the year proceeding the fellowship start date of July 1.