Who we are

Dr. Allen is trained in genetic epidemiology. She is involved in managing the various Down syndrome projects to ensure that the data from participant interviews and data from the laboratory come together in a coordinated way. Dr. Allen is also involved in the statistical analyses and in involved in data interpretation.

Dr. Bean is the Director of the project to identify genes involved in Down Syndrome-associated congenital heart defects. She is also the co-director of the Emory Genetics DNA Laboratory which performs testing for genetic disorders.

Dr. Freeman's interest in Down syndrome began in 1989 when she joined the first large Down syndrome research project at Emory. She served as the Director of the epidemiological component of our population-based studies conducted since that time until she retired in 2007. She is also the founder of the Down Syndrome Clinic at Emory.

Mr. He is a technologist in the laboratory who processes the biological samples from families with a child with Down syndrome. He is also responsible for characterizing the normal variation in the DNA that is found among individuals who participate in our research studies.

Ms. NaTasha Hollis is a graduate student in the laboratory whose research focuses on the study of genetic variation in recombination as a risk factor for nondisjunction. To carry out the study, she is looking at genome-wide recombination patterns in our samples. Furthermore, she is looking at the role of folate on these recombination patterns which may lead to nondisjunction. Additionally, she is involved in conducting interviews with families.

Ms. Lillie Huddleston is a certified school psychologist who performs psychological assessments related to current Down syndrome research projects. She also serves as an educational consultant for families of children with Down syndrome by identifying educational resources and reviewing Individualized Education Plans. Ms. Huddleston earned masters degrees in School Psychology and Music Education from Georgia State University.

Mr. Locke is a graduate student in the Genetics & Molecular Biology program. Working with Dr. Bean, his thesis focuses on the genetic contribution to DS-associated congenital heart defects. He is interested in understanding the methods and underlying genetics of complex human diseases.

Ms. Masse is a technologist in the laboratory who processes the biological samples from families with a child with Down syndrome. She is involved in performing the molecular biology procedures that generate the data used in the study.

Ms. Olney is a board certified genetic counselor and Down Syndrome Clinic Coordinator. She is the first person a family contacts at the clinic after their baby is diagnosed with Down syndrome. During the clinic visit, she provides information about Down syndrome and how it occurs, reviews health care guidelines, takes a family pedigree, and provides parents with community resources.

Ms. Oxford-Wright is the site coordinator of the National Down Syndrome Project, a multi-state effort to gather data to identify environmental exposures and/or other risk factors that may lead to Down syndrome and associated medical problems. She now helps coordinate, collect data, and provide quality control for the ongoing Emory Down Syndrome Project.

Dr. Rosser is the sites coordinator of the Down-syndrome Associated Congenital Heart Project as well as recruiting for the Emory Down Syndrome Project. She also helps with human subjects issues ensure that a research participant's privacy and identity are protected throughout our coding and data entry process.

Ms. Sablón assists in coordinating various aspects of epidemiologic study involving families of newborns with Down syndrome. She acts as a liaison between the research studies and the Latino community and also helps with the interpretation and translation needs of Spanish-speaking families in the Down syndrome clinic.

Dr. Sherman is the director of the research program that focuses on understanding the cause and consequence of Down syndrome. She has worked in this field for over 15 years and is committed to helping individuals with Down syndrome reach their full potential.

Ms. Smith is a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science and Master's Degree in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia. As the nurse researcher for our study of Down syndrome, she recruits families to participate and coordinate all study logistics. She assists with various aspects of the Down Syndrome Clinic providing families with basic information about Down syndrome and ensuring that they are aware of important community resources.

Mr. Tinker is responsible for the development, maintenance, and computer programming associated with the Down syndrome research databases housing over 15 years worth of data collection. Our datasets include thousands of variables for thousands of participants and contain complex genetic analysis and vast amounts of demographical, medical history, questionnaire, psychological profile, and project tracking data. Mr. Tinker's job is to keep these data secure, accurate, documented, available for researchers, and up-to-date to the changes necessary for the fast paced research environment.

Dr. Visootsak is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician and Medical Director of the Down Syndrome Clinic. Her area of expertise is in neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly children with genetic syndromes.

Mrs. Woodard is a technologist in the laboratory who processes biological samples from families with a child that has Down syndrome. She also performs experiments to compare the genetic composition of family members as it relates to Down syndrome.