uOttawa professor Dr. Kym Boycott will be Executive Director of the new Centre for Genomic Innovation unveiled at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) on February 28, 2019. To mark its launch, the Centre ran its first comprehensive clinical genomic test on site.
Dr. Boycott is a world-renowned clinical geneticist, Senior Scientist at CHEO RI and a cross-appointed professor in the departments of Pediatrics and Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology (BMI) at the Faculty of Medicine.
“Families with rare diseases often spend years seeking a diagnosis because of delays in testing and result interpretation,” said Dr. Boycott. “At CHEO and the CHEO Research Institute, and through our pan-Canadian research partnerships, we’ve used genomics to transform the diagnosis of rare diseases. However, it is very difficult for families living with rare disease to access these tests and it takes far too long to get the answers they need. With this new investment in genomic innovation, we’re going to bring these genomic tests to front door of care – getting families the diagnoses they need when they need it. This is vital as an accurate diagnosis informs care, improves family well-being, and gives families access to resources and support.”
Supported by the CHEO Foundation, this Centre is a first-in-Canada approach to deliver genomic discoveries to the front line of care for rare disease. It catalyzes CHEO’s international leadership in precisions medicine for rare disease and will improve the lives of families locally, nationally and internationally.
