Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sarah Elsea is an Associate Professor of Molecular and Human Genetics and Director of the Biochemical Genetics Laboratory at Baylor College of Medicine. She is a board certified biochemical geneticist by the American Board of Medical Genetics. Dr. Elsea is an educator, training students at all levels, including high school, college, graduate, medical, and postgraduate students. She also provides clinical consultations and focuses her research efforts toward characterizing Smith-Magenis syndrome and related genetic disorders. Dr. Elsea's lab identified RAI1 as the causative gene for SMS and has targeted research efforts toward understanding the function of RAI1, particularly in the role of RAI1 in circadian rhythm and obesity. Her more recent work assesses caregiver and sibling concerns in families of children with developmental disabilities. (PAB term: 2012-2015)

National Human Genome Research Institute
National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD
email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ann Smith is a certified genetic counselor and internationally recognized leader in the field of medical genetics and genetic counseling. Ann Smith works as a senior genetic counselor under contract to the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in the Office of the Clinical Director, dividing her time between clinical and research activities. As Principal Investigator of the natural history study (protocol 01-HG-0109) of Smith-Magenis Syndrome, she heads the multidisciplinary team of basic science clinical researchers who work collaboratively on SMS at the NIH. (PAB term: 2012-2015)

Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
Professor Emerita Molecular & Medical Genetics and Pediatrics
Ellen Magenis is currently the director of the Cytogenetic Laboratory and CDRC Chromosome Clinic at OHSU. Her special interest is in human chromosome mapping. She is also a Professor of Genetics, OHSU School of Medicine. Dr. Magenis many research interests include human gene mapping and numerical and structural aberrations of chromosomes; Prader-Willi/Angelman, Velocardiofacial, and Smith-Magenis syndromes; chromosome abnormalities in malignancy; origin of germ cell tumors in children and adults; melatonin levels in sleep-disordered SMS; and problems in sex determination. (PAB term: 2009-2012)

Brenda Finucane, MS, CGC, is a certified genetic counselor who has had a long career at Elwyn, a large, nonprofit human services organization near Philadelphia. In 2013, she will be taking a position at Geisinger Health System's new Autism and Developmental Medicine Institute in Lewisburg, PA. Ms. Finucane is widely published and has gained international recognition for her expertise in the behavioral and cognitive manifestations of genetic syndromes. She serves on the scientific advisory committees of several genetics support organizations and is the 2012 president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors. She is a co-founder of PRISMS and has a particular interest in school and vocational issues for people with developmental disabilities. (PAB term: 2010-2013)

Elwyn Training & Research Institute, Elwyn, PA
Barbara Haas-Givler works as a Behavior Specialist and teacher for school districts in the Allentown, PA area. Ms. Haas-Givler also serves as a consultant to genetic Services at Elwyn, Inc. She has over 35 years of experience in special education, serving in many different capacities over the course of her career, including classroom teacher, administrator, educational consultant, and behavior specialist. Ms. Haas-Givler has co-authored several publications on topics related to genetic syndromes, including frequently cited articles on the educational and behavioral manifestations of Smith-Magenis Syndrome. (PAB term: 2012-2015)

Bethesda Services, Ontario, Canada
email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Kerry Boyd is a psychiatrist in the field of intellectual disabilities and autism across the lifespan. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor for the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Boyd works with the Autism Spectrum Disorder Team at McMaster Children’s Hospital. She is also Chief Clinical Officer for Bethesda, which is an agency in Ontario with a variety of services for people with special needs of all ages. (PAB term: 2010-2013)

Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
Andrea Gropman is a child neurologist and clinical geneticist at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, and Chief of Developmental Disabilities and Neurogenetics at CNMC. She is also Principal Investigator, at Children's Research Institute Center for Neuroscience Research (CNR). Dr. Gropman specializes in neurogenetics, with a focus on mitochondrial disorders and Smith-Magenis Syndrome. (PAB term: 2012-2015)

Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Lori Potocki is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular & Human Genetics at the Baylor College of Medicine. Her primary interest involves the diagnosis, counseling, and management of individuals with developmental and genetic disorders. She directs the medical student curriculum in Genetics, and serves on curriculum committees at the School of Medicine and School of Allied Health Sciences. Her research involves the multi-disciplinary clinical study and characterization of Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS), Potocki-Lupski Syndrome (PTLS, duplication 17p11.2), and the Potocki-Shaffer Syndrome (PSS). (PAB term: 2010-2013)

Behavioral Medicine Associates, LLC, Washington, DC
Gonzalo Laje is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist who has focused much of his attention on the pharmacological treatments of behaviors associated with Smith-Magenis Syndrome. He is the director of Washington Behavioral Medicine Associates, LLC and co-founder of the Maryland Institute for Neuroscience and Development. Dr. Laje also maintains a private practice, specializing in pharmacogenetics, psychopharmacological treatment and consultation of mood and anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and psychiatric management of genetic disorders. As a result of this work, he continues to drive the research for pinpointing better medications for treating behavioral issues associated with SMS, while championing the need for more awareness, especially in the mental health professional community. (PAB term: 2012-2015)

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Christine Brennan is a speech-language pathologist who runs a private clinic for children and adults with communication difficulties. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Northwestern University in the Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders with a focus on developmental cognitive neuroscience. With over 20 years experience working with children and adults with disabilities (including those with SMS), Ms. Brennan is interested in conducting research that supports and extends current clinical practice. Her current research utilizes neuroimaging methods such as fMRI to learn how the brain processes speech and language. In 2009-2011, she was a recipient of the Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Institutional Training Grant from the NIDCD. She aims to earn her PhD by summer 2013. (PAB term: 2012-2015)