Program History

The training program in Human and Medical Genetics at Johns Hopkins is in its 55^th year. The late Victor McKusick, MD initiated postdoctoral training in genetic medicine in 1957.  Three years later, the late Dr. Barton Childs accepted his first postdoctoral fellow in Pediatric Genetics.  The predoctoral program in Human Genetics began in 1961 and was combined with the postdoctoral program until 1968.  Fellowship training in Genetics continued to be offered by Pediatrics and Medicine independently until 1975, when the two programs were combined.  Until 1980, the program offered 2 or 3-year fellowships, in which each year had a mixture of clinical and research activities. In 1980, the program began offering only three-year fellowships to optimize the research experience of each trainee. This decision contributed directly to the outstanding success of the program in attracting and training some of the most productive physician-scientists in the field of medical genetics.

The integration of medical and pediatric genetic programs continued with the formation of the Center for Medical Genetics in 1989.  Clinical inpatient and outpatient services were joined to provide a seamless approach to patients with genetic disorders. This was a particularly important development in light of the familial context in which many genetic disorders occur.  At the present time, attending staff and MD fellows diagnose and care for patients of all ages. Interaction among clinical departments was further enhanced by the consolidation of clinical and research activities in medical genetics in the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine. The Institute facilitated interactions among the major clinical departments participating in this program: Pediatrics, Internal Medicine and Obstetrics/Gynecology.  A major strength of the Institute is that it accommodates faculty from a diverse array of disciplines.  A number of participating faculty have primary or secondary appointments in numerous other units/departments at Hopkins that complement the core departments:  Neurology and Neurodevelopment, Oncology, Pathology and Physiology.  These faculty members contribute to the diversity of research expertise and clinical exposure afforded to the physician-scientist trainee. Integration between research and the bedside are further enabled by the physical location of the IGM. The research laboratories and offices of the Faculty of the IGM occupy two floors in the Edward D. Miller Research Building, a state-of-the-art research building that is contiguous with both the Hospital and Basic Science buildings on the East Baltimore campus.

In 2001 the combined Pediatric/Medical Genetics residency program accepted its first trainee.  In 2005 the combined Internal Medicine/Medical Genetics and combined Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellowship/Medical Genetics programs received Board approvals.

In 2010 the categorical genetics residency training program joined 40 of the 51 accredited programs in the US in the NRMP Fellowship Match.

Since 2001 over 38 individuals have trained in the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine in Clinical Genetics, Biochemical Genetics, Molecular Genetics and Cytogenetics. Ninety-five percent of the individuals who have sat for the ABMG Board examination have successfully obtained certification.

We are excited to announce that in 2012 we matched highly qualified applicants into a new and innovative collaborative residency program, between The Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health. These two  residency programs have joined forces to provide a unique opportunity to trainees by sharing educational/clinical/research resources that will not only markedly enhance a clinician scientis ability and skills but will also prepare trainees for the ongoing challenges and rapid advancements in the field of genetic/genomic medicine.