Categorical Medical Genetics Program
Overview
The categorical medical genetics residency at Johns Hopkins is structured to include 18 months of concentrated clinical training and up to 18 months of individualized curriculum with protected time for mentored research training in basic, clinical and/or translational medical genetics. For residents in the categorical track, core clinical genetics training is concentrated during the first 18 months. For residents in each of the combined training tracks, the clinical genetics training is structured into blocks, which alternates with the clinical training in the other primary specialties. Clinical genetics training is completed at the Johns Hopkins-affiliated hospitals for residents in the combined training tracks and at Johns Hopkins and NIH-affiliated training sites for categorical residents in the Hopkins-NIH consortium. Additionally, all residents are required to participate in continuity care for a subset of genetics patients during the entire residency.
Length of Training
| Program | Time | ||||||||||
Medical Genetics Residency and Fellowship |
Year | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | 1 to 6 | 7 to 12 | 1 to 6 | 7 to 12 | 1 to 6 | 7 to 12 | 1 to 6 | 7 to 12 | 1 to 6 | 7 to 12 | |
| Internal Medicine Genetics | 5 years | IM | Genetics | IM | Genetics | IM | Genetics | Research | |||
| Pediatrics Genetics | 4 years | Pediatrics | Genetics | Pediatrics | Genetics | Pediatrics | Genetics | IC | |||
| Research Fellowship | |||||||||||
| MFM Genetics | 4 years | Genetics | MFM | Genetics | Research | ||||||
| Medical Biochemical Genetics | 1 year | Genetics | |||||||||
| Core Clinical Genetics Training | |
| Individualized Curriculum (IC) | |
| Mentored Research Training | |
| Training in Pediatrics, IM, or MFM |
Outline of Core Training Curriculum
| Clinical Genetics Core Rotations (15 months) | Months |
| Dysmorphology Consultation and Clinics Rotation | 4 |
| Metabolism Inpatient Service, Consultation, and Clinics Rotation | 4 |
| Combined Dysmorphology and Metabolism Rotation | 1 |
| Clinical Genetics Mentoring and Teaching Rotation | 0.5 |
| Cancer Genetics | 1 |
| Prenatal Genetics | 1 |
| Adult Genetics | 1 |
| Clinical Genomics | 1 |
| Biochemical Genetics Laboratory | 0.5 |
| Cytogenetics Laboratory | 0.5 |
| Molecular Genetics Laboratory | 0.5 |
| Clinical Genetics Elective Rotations (3 months) | |
| Adult Genetics | |
| Biochemical Genetics | |
| Clinical Genomics | |
| Neurogenetics | |
| Syndromes & Malformations | |
| Laboratory Genetics | |
| Other Elective Rotations | |
| Clinical genetics rotations at NIH-affiliated training sites * | |
| Undiagnosed Disease Program (NHGRI) | 1 |
| Clinical Genetics Inpatient and Consultation Service (NHGRI) | 1 |
| Clinical Genetics Consultation Service (CNMC) | 1 |
| Mentored Research Training in Genetics (18 months) | |
| *Consortium Trainees Only. NHGRI: National Human Genome Research Institute; CNMC: Children's National Medical Center | |
Rotations in Genetics Clinics
Residents will have the opportunities to rotate through a large number of specialty genetics clinics at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Kennedy Krieger Institute, and NHGRI-affiliated training sites during their genetics residency training.
| Topic | Programs |
| Adult Genetics | Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program |
|---|---|
| Alzheimer Disease Clinic | |
| Center for Inherited Heart Diseases | |
| Huntington Disease Clinic | |
| Lipid Disorders Clinic | |
| Polycystic Kidney Diseases Clinic | |
| Telomere Disorders Clinic | |
| Cancer Genetics | Breast and Ovarian Cancer Clinic |
| Colon Cancer Clinic | |
| Craniofacial Disorders Connective Tissue Disorders Skeletal Dysplasia |
Albright Osteodystrophy Clinic |
| Connective Tissues Disorders Clinic | |
| Craniofacial and Cleft Palate Clinic | |
| Osteogenesis Imperfecta Clinic | |
| Greenberg Center for Skeletal Dysplasias | |
| Spinal Bifida Clinic | |
| Inborn Errors of Metabolism | Barth Syndrome Clinic |
| Inborn Errors of Metabolism Clinic (PCRU) | |
| Lysosomal Storage Disorders Clinic | |
| Enzyme Replacement Therapy Center | |
| Maryland Newborn Screening Program | |
| Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome Clinic | |
| Neurogenetics | Ataxia Clinic |
| Center for Autism and Related Disorders | |
| Center for Development and Learning | |
| Center for Inherited Eye Diseases | |
| Down Syndrome Clinic | |
| Epigenetics Clinic | |
| Leukodystrophy Clinic | |
| Muscular Dystrophy Clinic | |
| Neurobehavioral Unit (NBU) | |
| Neurogenetics Clinic | |
| Neurofibromatosis Center | |
| Rett Syndrome Clinic | |
| Smith-Lemli-Opitz Clinic | |
| Tuberous Sclerosis Clinic | |
| Other Genetics Clinics | Cystic Fibrosis Center |
| Fetal Alcohol Clinic | |
| Sturge Weber and Vascular Malformations Clinic | |
| Prenatal Genetics | Prenatal Genetics and Counseling Center |
Didactic Teaching
Residents are required to participate in a core didactic teaching and educational programs during their residency.
- Current Topics in Clinical Genetics
- Advanced Topics in Human Genetics
- Molecular Mechanisms of Diseases
- Clinical Genetics Case Conference
- Director's Clinical Genetics Round
- Institute of Genetic Medicine Journal Club
- Institute of Genetic Medicine Seminar series
Educational Courses and Meetings
Residents have opportunities to participate in genetics training courses and national genetics conferences during their residency.
- Bar Harbor Short Course on Medical and Experimental Mammalian Genetics
- Little People of America (LPA) conference
- North America Metabolic Academy (NAMA) conference
- Annual meetings of American Society of Human Genetics
- Annual meetings of American College of Medical Genetics
Quality Improvement and Scholarly Activities
Residents are required to participate in quality improvement projects and scholarly activities during their residency training.
Individualized Training Curriculum
In addition to core training in clinical genetics, residents are encouraged to develop their own interests and specialized areas of expertise in medical genetics through structured and individualized training curriculum.
Genetics Residents as Teacher (GREAT)
Residents will participate in educational workshops to improve their clinical teaching skills, gain practical experience by teaching genetics, and contribute to the development of a clinical genetics teaching website and resident handbook.
Mentored Research Training in Genetics
Residents will have 18 months of protected research time to develop their own clinical and/or basic research projects during the second and third years of training. This mentored research training is supported by a NIH T32 research training grant to the Johns Hopkins University and other institutional funds. The consortium training with the NHGRI medical genetics residency program has greatly expanded genetics research training opportunities with world renowned investigators in medical genetics at Johns Hopkins and NIH.