State-of-the-Art Plenary Lecture II

Rex Chisholm, PhD, Northwestern University

Title: Electronic Health Records and Genomics: The eMERGE Experience

Dr. Chisholm is the Adam and Richard T. Lind Professor of Medical Genetics in the Feinberg School of Medicine and professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and Surgery.  He was the founding Director of the Center for Genetic Medicine.  Since 2007 he has served as Vice Dean for Scientific Affairs in the Feinberg School.  In October 2012 he was also appointed Associate Vice President for Research of Northwestern University.

A faculty member at Northwestern University since 1984, Chisholm is author of over 100 scientific publications.  His research focuses on genomics, bioinformatics and precision medicine.  Chisholm leads a major DNA biobanking effort at Northwestern University, NUgene (www.nugene.org).  NUgene enrolls research participants in a study focused on investigating the genetic contributions to human disease, therapeutic outcomes and gene-environment interactions. NUgene is a participant in the NHGRI-funded eMERGE network (https://emerge-network.org/) – a network of electronic medical record (EHR) linked biobanks. The goal of his current eMERGE network project is to establish a program for genomics-informed personalized medicine in partnership with Northwestern’s health care affiliates.  He is Principal Investigator of the Dictyostelium Community Resource (dictycr.org) . His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and the Department of Defense.

As Vice Dean for Scientific Affairs he is responsible for research space in Feinberg, research core facilities and the broader research environment. He also oversees the PhD and MS training programs in Feinberg. As Associate VP for Research he has oversight responsibilities for the Office for Sponsored Research and the Center for Comparative Medicine as well as several University Research Centers.