Victor B. Penchaszadeh, MD,

MSPH Professor of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York Chief, Division of Medical Genetics, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York. Director, W.H.O. Collaborating Center for Community Genetics and Education.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Penchaszadeh was born and raised in Argentina, where he obtained his MD degree from the University of Buenos Aires (1964) and completed a pediatric residency (1965-68). He was a fellow in medical genetics at Johns Hopkins Hospital (1968-70) and obtained a Master of Science in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (1971). He worked as a clinical geneticist in Argentina (1971-75) and Venezuela (1976-1980) before migrating to the US, where he was a clinical geneticist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, NY (1981-86) and then chief of medical genetics at Beth Israel Medical Center, NY (1986-present). He was an assistant professor of pediatrics at Cornell University Medical College (1981-1986), associate professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (1986-19994) and currently full professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1994-present).

Dr. Penchaszadeh is a member of the panel of experts in human genetics of the World Health Organization and director of the WHO Collaborating Center in Community Genetics and Education. As such, he has advised extensively on maternal and child health, genetic education and genetic services addressed at disadvantaged communities in many parts of the world, particularly in Latin America and the USA. He is a member of the Ethical Legal and Social Issues Review Panel of the Human Genome Research Institute of NIH, of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee in Genetic Testing, and of the Health Research Advisory Council of the Pan American Health Organization. Dr. Penchaszadeh’s main academic interests are the interphase of genetics and public health, genetic public policies, the equity of health services and the health needs of populations disadvantaged for reasons of socioeconomic status and/or ethnicity.

Dr. Penchaszadeh has been a human rights advocate for many years. As such, he participated in several missions that looked at issues of health and human rights in Latin America during the 1980s and 1990s, and has been involved in the genetic identification and restitution of children abducted by the military dictatorship in Argentina. He was a member of the Human Rights Committee of the American Public Health Association, and is currently a member of the Advisory Council of Human Rights Watch, Americas, and the Board of Directors of Physicians for Human Rights.

Curriculum Vitae

Degrees
University of Buenos Aires, Argentina M.D. 1964 Medicine
School of Hygiene and Pubic Health Sc.M. 1970 Epidemiology &
John Hopkins University, Baltimore Human Genetics
Albert Einstein Coll. Med/Columbia University, NY Certificate 1996 Bioethics

Post-graduate Training
1965-1968 Residency in Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1968-1970 Fellowship in Medical Genetics, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD.

Professional and Academic Appointments
1971-1972 Coordinator of Clinical Genetics, Medical Genetics Center, Ministry of Health, Argentina.
1972-1975 Head, Section of Genetics, Children’s Hospital of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Assistant Professor of Maternal & Child Health, School of Public Health, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1976-1977 Visiting Scientist, Laboratory of Human Genetics, Venzuelan Institute of Scientific Research, Caracas, Venezuela.
1977-1981 Chief, Medical Genetics Unit, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.
1981-1986 Attending, Division of Genetics, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY and Assistant Professor Pediatrics, Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY.
1986- Chief, Division of Medical Genetics, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY.
1986-1995 Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
1995- Professor of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Yeshiva University, New York, NY.

Certifications
American Board of Medical Genetics: Clinical Genetics (1982); Clinical Cytogenetics (1987)

Consultandships and Committees
1989- Member, Panel of Experts in Human Genetics, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
1989- Member, Ethics Committee, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY.
1990- Member, Committee of Scientific Activities, (IRB) Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY.
1991-1998 Member, International Human Rights Committee, American Public Health Association.
1992-1994 Founding member and President, Ibero-American Society of Human Genetics.
1993- Member, Special Review Committee, Ethical, Legal and Social Issues, National Institute for Human Genome Research, NIH.
1994- Member, Board of Directors, World Alliance of Organizations for the Prevention of Birth Defects.
1994- Member, Board of Directors, Physicians for Human Rights, Boston, MA.
1999 Member, Advisory Committee in Genetic Testing, Dept. Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD.

Selected Recent Publications
Penchaszadeh VB: Public policies, individual rights and human genetics. Braz J Genet 15; suppl 1: 150-155, 1992.

Penchaszadeh VB: Abduction of children of political dissidents in Argentina and the role of human genetics in their identification. J Publ Hlth Policy 13:291-305, 1992.

Penchaszadeh VB: Reproductive genetic testing from an international perspective: impact on women in under-developed countries. Fetal Diag Ther 8 (suppl 1): 202-209, 1993.

Penchaszadeh VB: Reproductive health and genetic testing in the third world. In Evans MI (Ed): The New Reproductive Genetics: Implications for Women and Their Physicians. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 36 (3): 485-495, 1993.

Penchaszadeh VB: Genetics and Public Health. Bulletin of PAHO 28(1): 62-72, 1994.

Penchaszadeh VB: Ethical aspects of genetic counseling (Spanish). Perspect Bioeticas en las Americas. 1:78-91, 1996.

Penchaszadeh VB: Karyotype/phenotype correlation in sex chromosome mosaicisms (Spanish). Progr. Diag. Prenat. 7:545-550, 1995.

Penchaszadeh VB: Ethical aspects of prenatal diagnosis (Spanish). Progr. Diag. Prenat. 7:545-550, 1995.

Penchaszadeh VB: Book Review: Stephan Kuhl. The Nazi Connection: Eugenics, American Racism and Germ National Socialism. J. Publ. Hlth. Policy 17 (1): 112-114, 1996.

Penchaszadeh VB: Ethical aspects in clinical genetics (Spanish). Cuadernos de Bioetica (PAHO Program of Bioethics), 2:93-108, 1996.

Heredero L, Rojas I, Perez ET, Punales-Morejon D, Penchaszadeh VB. Development of human resources for the Cuban medical genetics program. Abstract: Am J Hum Genet 59: A168, 1996.

Punales-Morejon D, Penchaszadeh VB. Ethical issues in providing genetic counseling to Latinos in the United States. Am J Hum Genet 59: A171, 1996.

Penchaszadeh VB: Genetic identification of children of the disappeared in Argentina. JAMWA 52(1): 16-27, 1997.

Penchaszadeh VB: Book Review: Daniel Kevles. In the name of eugenics. J. Publ. Hlth. Policy. 18(1): 117-119, 1997.

Penchaszadeh VB, Beiguelman B (Editors): Medical Genetics Services in Latin America. Braz. J. Genet 20(1), Supplement, 1997.

Penchaszadeh VB, Punales-Morejon D. Ethical issues in the provision of genetic services to the Asian population New York City. In: N. Fujiki & D. Macer. Bioethics in Asia. Eubios Ethics Institute, Tsukuba, 1998.

Penchaszadeh VB: Medical genetics services in Latin America. Published by: World Health Organization, Human Genetics Programme. Geneva, 1998. WHO/HGN/CONS/MGS/98.4.

Penchaszadeh VB and Beiguelman B: Medical genetics services in Latin America: Report of a meeting of experts. Pan Am J Public Health 3(6): 409-420, 1998.

Perez E, Cendaz I, Heredero L, Lantigua A, Punales-Morejon D, Penchaszadeh VB. Postnatal genetic counseling for fragile X syndrome in Cuba. Am J Hum Genet 63: A204, 1998

Rojas I, Perez E, Punales-Morejon D, Heredero L, Penchaszadeh VB. Public opinion of health professionals regarding ethical aspects of genetic counseling in Cuba. Abstract: Am J Hum Genet 63: A205, 1998.

Penchaszadeh VB, Punales-Morejon D: Genetic Services to the Latino Polulation in the United States. Press, New York, 1999. Community Genet 1:134-141,1998.

Penchaszadeh VB, Christianson A, Giugliani R. Services for the Prevention and Management of Genetic Disorders and Birth Defects in Developing Countries. Am J Human Genet 65 (4) Suppl, A89, 1999.

Penchaszadeh VB: Delivery of genetic services in developing countries. In: Khoury MJ, Burke W, Thompson E (Eds): Genetics and Public Health in the 21st Century. Oxford Univ Press, New York, 2000.

Penchaszadeh VB: Genetics in pediatrics: the 21st Century (Spanish). Medicina Infantil, Buenos Aires, In press,.2000.

Penchaszadeh VB, Christianson AL, Giugliani R, Boulyjenkov V, Katz M: Services for the Prevention and Management of Genetic Disorders and Birth Defects in Developing Countries. Community Genet 2 (4), 1999.

Contact:

Victor B. Penchaszadeh, M.D.

Professor of Pediatrics and Chief,
Division of Medical Genetics
Beth Israel Medical Center,
First Avenue at 16th Street,
New York, NY 10003, USA
Tel 212-420-4179;
Fax 212-420-3440,
e-mail: vpenchas@bethisraelny.org