NHGRI logo

Oral History Collection

Wendy Chung

Wendy K. Chung, M.D., Ph.D. is a clinical molecular geneticist and physician. She is currently the director of the Clinical Genetics Program at Columbia Medical Center in New York City. She also leads the Precision Medicine Resource in the Irving Institute at Columbia University. Dr. Chung’s clinical work focuses on a wide variety of genetic diseases and disorders. As a researcher, she has done extensive work in cloning and mapping genes in humans. Dr. Chung also directs NIH-funded research programs in human genetics of birth defects including congenital diaphragmatic hernia, congenital heart disease, and esophageal atresia, autism, neurodevelopmental disorders, pulmonary hypertension, cardiomyopathy, obesity, diabetes, and breast cancer. In this interview Dr. Chung’s recounts many aspects of her career, including her early work studying the genetic links to diabetes and obesity, as well as her extensive experience as a clinician dealing with a variety of important genetics-related issues, including discussions of genomic risk with patients. Dr. Chung also provides us with some key insights into the nature of precision medicine and NIH-programs such as All of Us.