Who is Doing This Project?

The NUgene Project is sponsored by the Center for Genetic Medicine (CGM) in association with other Northwestern-affiliated institutions. The CGM is a non-profit organization that focuses on genetic research and genetic medicine at Northwestern University and its healthcare partners: Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, and Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. The CGM Director, Rex Chisholm, PhD, is the principal investigator for the NUgene Project. The center's goal is to aid Northwestern University Medical School faculty and its partner hospitals in the application of genetics to the practice of medicine.

The NUgene Project receives guidance from an Advisory Committee comprised of leaders in research and medicine at Northwestern-affiliated institutions. The NUgene Advisory Committee advises staff on scientific issues and provides approval for research studies utilizing the NUgene collection. A Community Advisory Committee comprised of community advocates, study participants, and other interested Chicagoans, provides a non-scientific perspective on the NUgene Project. In addition to learning about genetic research, the community advisory committee guides the NUgene staff in the development of patient oriented materials, supports marketing endeavors and outreach to minority communities, and provides a forum for the discussion of ethical issues.

 
NUgene Staff Bios

Rex L. Chisholm, PhD
Principal Investigator and Co-Founder, NUgene Project
Director, Center for Genetic Medicine

Dr. Chisholm received both his bachelor's and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan where he was a trainee of the NIH training program in Genetics. As a doctoral student, he investigated recombination between DNA introduced into cells and cellular chromosomes, a process critical for the genetic modification of animal cells. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he developed methods for analyzing the patterns of gene expression during development. Since 1984, Chisholm has been on the faculty of Northwestern University. Author of over 100 scientific papers and abstracts, Chisholm has served as a member of scientific review committees for the National Institutes of Health and the American Cancer Society. He also served as Director of the Biomedical Hands-on-Laboratory of the Science Writing Fellowships Program at the Marine Biological Laboratory. Chisholm received a Basil O'Connor Fellowship from the March of Dimes and was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Currently, Chisholm is director of the Center for Genetic Medicine. As Principal Investigator of NUgene, he plays a lead role in developing tools to translate medical information into a meaningful phenotype. As part of this effort, he is developing a novel ontology, the Disease Ontology, to provide a controlled vocabulary for describing human disease. In addition to his scientific endeavors, Chisholm is especially interested in increasing the public understanding of genetics.


 

Warren Kibbe, PhD
Co-Founder, NUgene Project
Director, Bioinformatics, Center for Genetic Medicine

Dr. Kibbe is the principal architect of the NUgene informatics system and has been responsible for supervising its implementation. Dr. Kibbe received his doctorate degree in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1990 where he studied transcriptional regulation in yeast using biochemical and molecular biology techniques. He was a visiting scientist at the Max-Planck-Institute in Germany and a research fellow at the Center for Biotechnology at Northwestern University. Dr. Kibbe provides the NUgene team with expertise in bioinformatics, database design and operation, as well as in the design of Internet-distributed applications. Dr. Kibbe's group has developed web-based research and clinical applications for basic science as well as clinical investigators. Dr. Kibbe was instrumental in the design and building of NOTIS, the Northwestern Oncology Trial Information System, a highly scalable and efficient cancer trials management system. His current research interests include the design of the clinical and genomics infrastructure for NUgene which interfaces with NOTIS.


 

Wendy Wolf, PhD
Director and Co-Investigator

Dr. Wolf joined the Center for Genetic Medicine at its inception in 2001. She received a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Michigan. Following a move to Chicago, she continued her graduate training in the life sciences and earned her doctorate in cell and molecular biology from Northwestern University. She has over 10 years of molecular genetic research experience, and previously served as Director of Northwestern University's Genotyping Core Facility. She has focused on developing the NUgene initiative since joining the Center for Genetic Medicine. Dr. Wolf is a Research Assistant Professor at Northwestern, and lectures for the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling. She was co-investigator on a recent Department of Energy funded ELSI (Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of the Human Genome Project) study on participant perceptions of the informed consent process for NUgene. She is a member of the American Society of Human Genetics and is a director for Women Advancing Bioscience, the Chicago-based non-profit group dedicated to fostering professional growth and development of women in the biosciences.


 

Wendy S. Rubinstein, MD, PhD, FACMG
Site Principal Investigator, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare
Director, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare for Medical Genetics

Dr. Rubinstein is Medical Director of the Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Center for Medical Genetics, Division Chief of Medical Genetics at Evanston Hospital, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. She earned her MD and PhD degrees in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Dr. Rubinstein completed an internal medicine residency at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, and is a board-certified internist. After completing a clinical and research fellowship at the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, she achieved dual board certification in Clinical Genetics and Clinical Molecular Genetics. Dr. Rubinstein was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, Director of the Cancer Genetics Program, and a member of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute prior to joining the faculty of Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. Dr. Rubinstein's clinical and research efforts have focused on hereditary cancer syndromes, with an emphasis on early cancer detection and prevention. She is the recipient of a National Cancer Institute Career Development Award from Northwestern University's Breast SPORE, focusing on microarray research in hereditary breast cancer. She is co-principal investigator for a Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-funded multicenter study on the evaluation of a family history tool for health promotion and disease prevention.

 

 

Maureen Smith, MS, CGC
Clinical Director

Maureen joined the Center for Genetic Medicine as the Clinical Director for the NUgene Project in 2003. She has extensive experience in project management, obtaining informed consent for genetic testing and research and developing educational materials on genetic topics for public and professional audiences. Maureen received her Bachelor of Science degree in 1983 from the University of California at Irvine and a Master of Science degree in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in 1987. She was board certified in Genetic Counseling by the American Board of Medical Genetics in 1990. She has over 14 years of genetic counseling experience in the areas of prenatal, pediatric, adult and cancer genetics. Prior to joining the staff on the NUgene Project, Maureen worked for private companies developing genetic educational materials and solutions for the delivery of genetic services. She has been awarded several clinical research grants and has authored numerous scientific articles and abstracts, as well as articles for the public. Maureen is a member of the American Society of Human Genetics, the National Society of Genetic Counselors, and Women Advancing Bioscience. She served as president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors from 1997-1998, where she continues to have an active role in the educational and professional activities of the organization. Maureen is a faculty member of the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling at Northwestern University, teaching the "Topics in Genetics" course, mentoring student research and organizing seminars on professional topics. Her main research interests are in the professional advancement and training of genetic counselors, the application of genetics in medical care and the education of health professionals and the public.

 

 

Sharon Aufox, MS, CGC
Genetic Counselor and Research Coordinator

Sharon joined the Center for Genetic Medicine as a Research Coordinator for the NUgene project in 2002. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a minor in Anthropology/Sociology from Lafayette College in 1992 and a Master of Science degree from the Genetic Counseling program at Sarah Lawrence College in 1996. She was board certified in Genetic Counseling by the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 1996. Following graduation, Sharon worked as a genetic counselor at Wake Forest University Medical Center in North Carolina in the prenatal and pediatric genetic clinics, and coordinated the Maternal Serum Screening Program. Originally from the Chicago area, Sharon returned to Illinois in 2000 to work as a genetic counselor in Rockford Memorial Hospital’s Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine’s Hoffman Estates and Elgin satellite clinics. Sharon has performed informed consent for numerous genetic research projects and genetic testing protocols throughout her genetic counseling training and career. Prior to her career as a genetic counselor, Sharon worked as laboratory technician in both genetic research and genetic diagnostic laboratories. She is very interested in educating others about genetics and has taught medical students while at Wake Forest University Medical Center. Sharon is a faculty member of the Northwestern University Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling, where she co-teaches the research course, instructs clinical research rotations and mentors student research projects. Sharon is also interested in genetics and public health.


 

Mary Carns, MS
Research Coordinator

Mary joined the Center for Genetic Medicine as a Research Coordinator for the NUgene Project in 2004. She received a Master of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2003 and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biology and Sociology/Anthropology from Knox College in 1999. She was previously employed as a Crisis Nursery Specialist for the Lutheran Social Services Bethany Crisis Nursery. In this position, she assisted families in crisis by answering a 24-hour crisis line, arranging child care placements, and providing support and referrals to parents. She has also worked as a Research Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Extension, where she assisted in the evaluation of the Wisconsin Early Childhood Excellence Initiative by conducting observations of early care and education classrooms. In addition, as an undergraduate student, she recruited and enrolled patients for a genetics study at Mayo Medical Center.


 

Nicole Sheehan
Research Coordinator

Nicole joined the Center for Genetic Medicine as a Research Coordinator for the NUgene Project in 2005. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of New Hampshire in 2000. Nicole brings over six years of healthcare experience in Gynecologic Oncology and Pediatrics. She has worked with a variety of patients and healthcare providers, gaining a broad knowledge of disease processes and medical interventions. Nicole recently relocated to the Chicago area from Massachusetts, where she was a clinical assistant at Chestnut Hill Pediatrics and Massachusetts General Hospital Gillette Center for Women's Cancers.

 

Noah Goss
Research Coordinator

Noah joined the Center for Genetic Medicine as a Research Coordinator in 2005. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Ohio University in 2004. Upon graduating, Noah was employed as a Research Technician for the Ohio University Women’s Health Study. In this position, Noah gained experience recruiting and enrolling individuals in endocrine research, as well as directing their participation throughout the testing process. Noah also learned physiological measurement and phlebotomy skills in this position.

 

Jennifer Allen
IT Informatics Lead

Jennifer joined the Center for Genetic Medicine as the IT informatics Lead for the NUgene Project in 2005. Jennifer graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science from Indiana State University in 1996 and earned a Graduate Certificate in Bioinformatics Essentials from Northwestern University in 2004. In addition, she is currently working towards a Master of Science degree in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics at Northwestern University. Jennifer leads the technical operation for the NUgene Project, where she provides customized database and application solutions for the initiative. Jennifer has experience with a variety of web, data analysis, and other programming languages and technologies. Prior to joining the Center for Genetic Medicine, she traveled around the world as a data mining consultant for one of the leading global consulting companies based in Chicago, Illinois. Most recently, Jennifer worked for a Cambridge, MA pharmaceutical company where she developed dynamic web pages and configured scientific software.

 

Tony Miqueli
Software Engineer

Tony joined the Center for Genetic Medicine in October 2007 as a Software Engineer for the NUgene Project. Tony graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Georgia in 1999. Upon graduation, Tony worked for a nationally known software consulting firm, Software Architects, in Atlanta building custom N-tier software solutions. Prior to joining the NUgene Project, Tony was building web and database applications for Restaurant.com.

 

Maribeth Miceli
Program Coordinator

Maribeth joined the Center for Genetic Medicine as a Program Coordinator for the NUgene Project in 2006. Maribeth graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work with a minor in Sociology from Loyola University Chicago in 1987. Prior to joining the Center, Maribeth spent several years at the Feinberg School of Medicine working in the Department of Medicine. There, she facilitated new faculty and research staff appointments, reappointments and promotions. She was also instrumental in processing appropriate credentials for newly arriving faculty members.