WHO:

• Keynote Speaker Dr. Arno Motulsky, UW professor emeritus in medicine and genome sciences, provides historical perspective on medical genetics
• Dr. Thomas D. Bird, professor of neurology (to discuss neurogenetics)
• Dr. Virginia Sybert, professor of medicine (genetic skin disorders)
• Dr. Peter Byers, professor of pathology and medicine (connective tissue disorders)
• Robin Bennett, senior genetic counselor and clinic manager, on genetic testing and counseling
• Patients with hereditary breast-ovarian cancer, polycystic kidney disease, Pompe disease, Huntington's disease, Marfan syndrome

WHAT: UW Medical Genetics Clinic faculty, leaders and staff will celebrate the clinic's 50th anniversary November 6 with a symposium and evening reception. The clinic, among the first of its kind in the United States, sees nearly 2,000 patients each year. Physicians and genetic counselors provide diagnoses and recommendations for care and follow-up of hundreds of rare genetic disorders, as well as the more common ones.

WHEN: Friday, November 6, 2009 -- 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE: University of Washington South Campus Center (located behind UW Medical Center), room 316

For more on the event, including a list of additional speakers and details about the Friday evening reception, visit the UW Medical Genetics clinic anniversary web site.

For additional background on the clinic, visit the division of medical genetics site.