Human Medical Genetics Program
Welcome from Richard A. Spritz, M.D.
Program Director
The Human Medical Genetics Program at UCD is an interdisciplinary, interdepartmental Program designed to coordinate outstanding graduate training and research opportunities in all aspects of Human and Medical Genetics. I came to UCD in July, 1998 from the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Wisconsin because of the exciting opportunity to develop a new Human Medical Genetics Program in Denver. I and the HMGP faculty are committed to a dynamic and outstanding Program that will provide vision, leadership, and focus for human and medical genetic activities at the University of Colorado into the 21st century.
The new millennium will see a revolution in almost all fields of medicine and biomedical research, as the DNA sequences of the human and other genomes become available, genes critical to development and disease and genetic variations that predispose to common debilitating diseases are discovered, tests to rapidly identify genetically susceptible individuals are developed, and new technologies to treat or even prevent these diseases are brought on line. These advances will result in improved health, longevity, and quality of life, and it is the mission of the Human Medical Genetics Program to be at the forefront of this revolution.
The Human Medical Genetics graduate training program is relatively new. Thus, students have the opportunity to help design its future. The Program is continually adding new Training Faculty, giving students an outstanding group of human geneticists from whom to select as Thesis Advisors and mentors. Our goal is to provide students a world-class graduate training experience in an interactive and interdisciplinary environment that allows for an individualized learning experience. We hope that you become as enthusiastic about the Program as we are, and we look forward to the chance to tell you more about it.