Our Science, Medicine & Technology Advisors - Harriet Joyce Foundation

Our Science,
Medicine &
Technology Advisors

In Memoriam of
Dr. Richard J. Deckelbaum

November 14, 1942-October 2, 2024

It is with profound sorrow that we share the passing of our dear friend and respected mentor of over 30 years, Richard Deckelbaum, on October 2, 2024. Richard was the visionary behind the establishment of both the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University. His career was marked by his travels across the globe, championing the health of communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East on issues of infant malnutrition. For all who had the privilege of knowing him, he will be fondly remembered for his brilliance, compassion, thoughtfulness, and unwavering kindness. His radiant smile was truly unforgettable.

Strategic

Collaborators

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Dr. Jerry Vockley
Cleveland Family Endowed Pediatric Research, School of Medicine Professor of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health Chief of Genetic and Genomic Medicine, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Director of the Center for Rare Disease Therapy, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Dr. Vockley received his undergraduate degree at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and received his MD and PhD degrees in Medicine and Genetics from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He completed his pediatric residency at the Denver Children’s Hospital, Denver, Colorado, and his postdoctoral fellowship in Human Genetic and Pediatrics at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. Before assuming his current position in Pittsburgh, Dr. Vockley was Chair of Medical Genetics in the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. Dr. Vockley is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of inborn errors of metabolism.

His current research focuses on mitochondrial energy metabolism, novel therapies for disorders of fatty acid oxidation and amino acid metabolism, and population genetics of the Plain communities in the United States. He has published over 350 peer reviewed scholarly articles and is the principal or Co-investigator on multiple NIH grants. Dr. Vockley also has an active clinical research program and participates in and consults on multiple gene therapy trials. Dr. Vockley has served on numerous national and international scientific boards including the Advisory Committee (to the Secretary of Health and Human Services) on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children where he was chair of the technology committee.

He is a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is a Founding Fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, and currently serves on its board of directors. He is co-founder and co-chair of the International Network on Fatty Acid Oxidation Research and Therapy (INFORM). He has served as chair of the Pennsylvania State Newborn Screening Advisory Committee and is a past president of the International Organizing Committee for the International Congress on Inborn Errors of Metabolism and the Society for the Inherited Metabolic Disorders (SIMD).

He is co-founder and editor of the SIMD North American Metabolic Academy. He provides support for numerous family advocacy groups including MitoAction, the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, the Nationaal PKU Association, and the Organic Acidemia Association.

Dr. D. Holmes Morton
Pediatrician and research physician in the field of pediatric genetics and hereditary metabolic disease. D. HOLMES MORTON M.D. is a pediatrician and co- founder with his wife Caroline of the 1 ST Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg Pennsylvania. In 2012 The Central Pennsylvania Clinic for Special Needs Children; Adults was cofounded as a non-profit organization, a 501c3, as a project during a MacArthur Fellowship. From his Clinic for Special Children, Dr. Morton treats Amish and Mennonite children afflicted with complex medical problems arising from inherited predispositions to disease.

Dr. Morton’s wife Caroline and his brother Paul Morton were involved in establishing similar Clinics in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and a new Clinic in rural Central Kentucky. These Clinics are medical works-in-progress with the Mission to use knowledge of genetic risks within the populations to improve access to medical care, foster early recognition and improve treatments for inherited disorders. Although the Clinics are local medical practices, the Clinics are recognized internationally for innovative studies in the discovery and treatment of inherited disorders. Publications can be found in Pediatrics, Current Treatment Options in Neurology, Molecular Genetics and Metabolism, Brain, Journal of Pediatrics, Pediatric Transplant, Nature, and Gene Reviews.

In 2020, Dr. Morton received the Rural Health Hero Award. D. Holmes Morton received an M.D. (1983) from Harvard Medical School and completed his residency at Children’s Hospital in Boston. He also conducted biochemical genetics research at Johns Hopkins University and at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“Renowned Pediatrician and geneticist D. Holmes Morton left Harvard Medical School to treat children afflicted with genetic illnesses in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. Morton is considered a leading authority on diseases that have plagued groups known to inbreed, as you find in the indigenous and mestizo populations of Ecuador. Using cutting-edge technology, Morton and his team have discovered numerous genetic illnesses and developed novel treatments, says Joseph B. Martin, M.D., former dean of Harvard Medical School. “The care [Morton and his team] provide for these families has no counterpart. He is one of Harvard Medical School’s most remarkable alumni,” says Martin Joseph B. Martin, M.D., former dean of Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Wahida Karmally
Special Research Scientist, Columbia University Associate Editor Journal of Clinical Lipidology. Dr. Wahida Karmally earned her Doctor of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from the Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She is a Diabetes Educator, and Diplomate of the ACCL (Clinical Lipid Specialist) and is recognized as a Fellow of the National Lipid Association (NLA). She is currently on the faculty for Columbia University’s International Collaboration and Exchange Healthcare Program and Associate Editor for the Journal of Clinical Lipidology.

Prior to her retirement she was the director of the bionutrition core in the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Columbia University for over 30 years. She was on the Faculty in the College of Dental Medicine and Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and text books. Dr. Karmally received the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) 2012 Excellence in Practice -Dietetic Research Award. She represented AND at the 2015 Nutrition Mega Event in Brazil and at the American College of Cardiology Roundtable “Managing CV Disease Risk in Diabetes” in 2017.

She was the 2018 Medallion recipient from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She served on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Panel at the United Nations session on “Women in Science” in February 2020. She has presented at FAO in Italy and nutrition and heart conferences in India, Argentina, UK, Brazil, American Heart Association’s and American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions and is an abstract reviewer for American Diabetes Association and Overseas Dietetic Association. Dr. Karmally served on the Board of Directors of the American Diabetes Association, Asia Pacific Diabetes Action Council, Northeast Lipid Association, Accreditation Council for Clinical Lipidology, New York Heart Association.

She was a national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for 11 years and has done over 500 media interviews for print, television and radio. She was Research Chair for the Diabetes Care and Education Practice Group. She served on the Research Committee of the American Association of Diabetes Educators. She is currently a member of the National Lipid Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.