I love to solve puzzles. ... It all comes together in genetics, too. Each patient, each family, each individual is like a mystery you can try to solve. I like to connect the dots.
- Name
- Wedad Fallatah
- Title
- Clinical fellow
- Department
- Biochemical genetics
- Divisions
Wedad Fallatah was born and raised in Saudi Arabia, where she attended medical school and developed an interest in medical genetics during her rotations.
Because there were no research or clinical residency programs in medical genetics in Saudi Arabia at that time, she moved to United States to pursue a master's degree of advanced studies in clinical research at University of California San Diego, then went on to earn a PhD in human genetics from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. There, Wedad's research focused on a group of rare genetic diseases called peroxisomal disorders, which impair the development of many of the body's systems and can lead to developmental delays and neurological issues.
Wedad is now a clinical and research fellow in the Genetics Laboratories at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and in the Department of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins. In the clinical fellowship, Wedad is doing a specialized training in biochemical genetic testing for the diagnosis of inborn metabolic diseases. Her research work focuses on advancing the diagnosis and treatment of peroxisomal disorders in pediatric patients.
Wedad trains directly with renowned researcher Ann Moser at the peroxisomal diseases laboratory at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Moser and her late husband, Hugo Moser, helped identify some of the gene mutations that cause peroxisomal disorders, a significant factor in Wedad wanting to continue her work at Johns Hopkins.
"I was very interested in being connected to this university," she says, "... and was grateful to have this opportunity to be here."
