Date/Time
Date(s) - 05/06/2023
11:00 am CDT - 12:00 pm CDT
Categories
Interested in learning more about the role of genetics in sarcoidosis research and treatment? Do you want to know how genetics may advance our understanding of disease, and lead to improvements in diagnosing and treating sarcoidosis?
Join us on Saturday, May 6th at 11am CST for a robust panel discussion moderated by FSR SarcFighter podcast host, John Carlin. This discussion will be shaped by you. Please complete this community survey as we build out a panel of experts to address your questions and concerns. And please register!
Panelists
Dr. Courtney Montgomery, Director of the Sarcoidosis Research Unit at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF). Dr. Montgomery has been engaged in genetics research for over 25 years, including studies of cancer, lupus, and other autoinflammatory disorders. She has been specifically involved in sarcoidosis research for over 15 years, directing NIH and Foundation-funded grants to explore the role of the genome in sarcoidosis. She established and directs the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), Sarcoidosis Research Unit (SRU) that collects and provides patient data and samples for her own as well as national and international investigators. Her group has published the only genome-wide association scan in American sarcoidosis patients to-date, the first study of HLA in African Americans (AA), multiple organ-specific GWAS in AA and European Americans (EA), the only Polygenic Risk Score profiling study in both AA and EA sarcoidosis and most recently completed the only study of pulmonary fibrosis in an AA population. Her lab focuses on immunogenetics and characterizing the role of genes in immune cells in the predisposition and progression of sarcoidosis. This has led to the first-ever, single cell transcriptomic study, and the first cytokine screen in both EA and AA sarcoidosis patients.
C. Ann Scott, FSR Patient Advocate and WOC Committee Member. C. Ann Scott is a native from Detroit residing in Gainesville, FL. She has devoted her entire career to education and volunteer work. She retired in 2015 after a 42-year career in education. She has three children and four grandchildren. While Mrs. Scott was officially diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 2016, she believes that the disease was present in her 30’s. Mrs. Scott credits her team of doctors with early detection and effective treatment to help her keep her disease under control. Mrs. Scott is an active member of the community and serves on several boards. She is involved with the Girls Scouts of Gateway Council, Martin Luther King Commission of Florida, The Gainesville Chapter of The Links, Inc. and the local Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Graduate Chapter (Mu Upsilon Omega).
Suyash Shringapure, Senior Scientist of Statistical Genetics at 23andMe. Suyash Shringarpure is a Senior Statistical Geneticist at 23andMe. Suyash joined 23andMe in 2016 and works on developing machine learning and statistical methods for analyzing 23andMe’s large genomic and phenotypic dataset, primarily for rare disease genetic discovery and disease risk prediction. Previously, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University where he developed methods for studying ancestry and genomic privacy. Suyash earned his Ph.D. in Machine Learning from Carnegie Mellon University.
Mary McGowan FSR CEO. Mary joined the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research as the organization’s first-ever Chief Executive Officer in 2020. As CEO, Mary serves as the primary representative and spokesperson for FSR and leads the organization’s strategic vision with patient engagement, strategic partnerships, fundraising, advocacy efforts, program direction, and an aggressive communications and research agenda. Mary brings 35 years of nonprofit leadership and management experience to the role. Prior to joining FSR, she served as Executive Director at The Myositis Association (TMA.) As Executive Director of TMA, McGowan was featured and highlighted as a preeminent rare disease leader by numerous entities including American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Global Genes and the National Organization for Rare Diseases for her innovative national campaigns including Women of Color and Myositis and her leading telemedicine initiatives for autoimmune patients during COVID-19. Prior to her time at TMA, Mary served as CEO of WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. McGowan also served as Executive Director of the Allergy & Asthma Network, and has held various positions with the American Academy of Pediatrics during her service of 18 years. McGowan earned a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Development from the George Washington University and a B.A. from Trinity University.
Panel Discussion moderated by John Carlin, host of the FSR SarcFighter Podcast
John Carlin. John is the anchor of the 5, 5:30, 6 pm, and 11 pm newscasts on WSLS 10 News. A veteran newscaster, John has been at the station for more than 30 years. During that time, he has received many awards and honors including lifetime achievement awards from the Virginia Association of Broadcasters and the Associated Press of the Virginias. He also is co-chair of the Patient Advisory Committee for the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, where he hosts the FSR Sarc Fighter podcast, which shines a light on this rare disease.
Sponsored by 23andMe
