Dr. Ahmad Abou Tayoun

Clinical Molecular Geneticist

Dr. Ahmad Abou Tayoun

Clinical Molecular Geneticist

Biography

Ahmad Abou Tayoun is the Director of the Genomics Center of Excellence at Al Jalila Children’s, and an Associate Professor of Genetics at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences. He completed his doctoral studies in genetics at Dartmouth College, followed by a fellowship in molecular diagnostics at Dartmouth Medical School. In 2013, he joined Harvard Medical School where he completed his clinical molecular genetics fellowship and, in 2015, became board-certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG). Dr. Abou Tayoun is a fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMGG). Prior to joining Al Jalila Children’s, he was a director in the Division of Genomic Diagnostics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and also an assistant professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

 

Dr. Abou Tayoun’s main research interests are centered around characterizing the genomic landscape of pediatric diseases in the Middle East and cataloguing the normal genetic variation in this population. In addition, a significant component of his research program is centered around translating new genomic technologies, such as rapid whole genome sequencing (rWGS), long read sequencing and transcriptomics, into clinical care.

 

Dr. Abou Tayoun serves on several expert groups in his field. He is a co-chair of the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) Hearing Loss Expert Group, a member of the ClinGen Sequence Variant Interpretation (SVI) group and a member of the American College of Genetics and Genomics Interpreting Sequence Variants (ISV) workgroup. In those capacities, Dr. Abou Tayoun is working with international experts to establish guidelines and recommendations for sequence variant interpretation in genomic diagnostic settings.

Professional Background

Medical School

2005 - 2011
Dartmouth Medical School, USA

Residency

2013 - 2015
Harvard Medical School, USA

Fellowship

2011 - 2013
Molecular Diagnostics, Dartmouth Medical School, USA
2013 - 2015
Clinical Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, USA

Work Experience

2015 - 2018
Director of Genomic Diagnostics and Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University, USA of Pennsylvania
2018 - To Date
Director of Research Department, Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, Dubai
2020 - To Date
Associate professor of Genetics, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai

Languages Spoken

  • English
  • Arabic

Achievements Career Highlights

  • Authored and coauthored over 80 publications in high profile peer-reviewed journals, including JAMA Pediatrics, Genome Medicine, Genome Research, Genetics in Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and JAMA Network Open
  • Co-editor on 4 book volumes, named “Advances in Molecular Pathology” by Elsevier
  • Developed several genomics tools including ExomeSlicer, PathoPredictor, VIP-HL, and Phenoxome in collaboration with international experts in the field
  • Led the efforts to establish and publish the standards and guidelines for variant interpretation in genetic hearing loss
  • Established the first-of-its-kind clinical genomics center in the UAE, to provide integrated genomic diagnostic and genetic counseling services within a pediatric healthcare center
  • Co-led efforts to sequence the first SARS-CoV-2 genome in the UAE, and subsequently monitor its introduction, evolution, and spread in the community
  • Recipient of of Al Jalila Foundation grant to study the genetics of severe COVID-19 in children and young adults
  • Recipient of a large private grant to carry on the first-of-its-kind genetic newborn screening program (N=6,500 Emirati newborns) for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in the UAE
  • Recipient of private funding to pilot the feasibility and utility of rapid whole genome sequencing (rWGS) in the intensive care units (NICU/PICU)

Research & Publications

  1. Dr. Ahmad Abou Tayoun - Research & Publications

    https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VnXj6tEAAAAJ&hl=en

  2. Genomic medicine in the Middle East

    https://genomemedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13073-021-01003-9

Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital

Al Jaddaf - Dubai United Arab Emirates

800 AJCH (8002524)
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