Three executives who worked on the discontinued National Precision Health program at Geisinger have taken positions with Genome Medical, a telegenomics company.
The South San Francisco, Calif.-based company has appointed geneticist Huntington Willard, Ph.D., as chief scientific officer and senior vice president of medical affairs.
Genome Medical said it uses its Genome Care Delivery platform to drive large-scale population genomics programs that will increase the understanding of genetic factors within specific populations. The information gleaned from these programs has the potential to help health systems and their clinicians understand how genetics and genomics contribute to the overall health and well-being of patients within the communities they serve.
Willard will oversee strategic initiatives including clinical and research partnerships in population genomics with hospitals and health systems. He is a former president of the American Society of Human Genetics and founding director of the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy. Most recently, he served as founding director of Geisinger National Precision Health.
"Genome Medical's business needs as a leading medical practice and telegenomics company align well with my expertise in developing and operating precision health initiatives," Willard said, in a statement.
In addition to Willard, Genome Medical also added two other former team members from Geisinger National:
• Erica Ramos, M.S., L.C.G.C., will serve as vice president of population genomics. Ramos has worked in genetic counseling for nearly 20 years. Before her recent stint at Geisinger National, Ramos spent nearly six years at Illumina in a variety of roles. Ramos is a past president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors.
• Beth Denne, M.S., C.G.C., will serve as director of education and engagement. Denne has worked in genetic counseling and related services for nearly 20 years, including seven years at Counsyl prior to joining Geisinger National. She is a past president of the American Board of Genetic Counseling.
The range of services Genome Medical offers to health systems includes strategic advice and guidance; program development and implementation support; engagement of patients and providers; genetic testing coordination; and return of results to both patients and providers. Health systems will be able to create programs supported by a national network of licensed medical geneticists and genetic counselors, who are accessible on-demand through the company's telemedicine platform.
