Housed in Wu laboratory in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School (HMS),  we believe that teaching and writing about the use of genetic information in the public domain is an integral part of our work.  Founded in 2007, we are a diverse mix of scientists and educators engaging with science policy, curriculum reform, and - more broadly - the ways in which genetic information might transform health care, basic research, insurance, law, and our ideas about family, privacy, and identity. 

Meet our team: 

Ting (C.-ting) Wu, B.A., Ph.D.

 Director and Co-founder of pgEd, Professor of Genetics

Ting is especially excited about the goal of the pgEd team to work with high schools across the nation in order to incorporate teaching materials on the ethical, legal, social, as well as medical aspects of personal genetics into their curricula. This strategy would be a comprehensive cost-effective approach for educating each year's wave of new young adults. Ting received her B.A. from Harvard University in Biology and her Ph.D. from Harvard Medical School in Genetics. She did her postdoctoral training at Yale University and the Station for Natural Studies, after which she was appointed a Fellow in Molecular Biology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She has been a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Molecular Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital and is now a Professor of Genetics in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. She is also an Associate Editor of Genetics and a member of the Editorial Board of Epigenetics and Chromatin.
 

Marnie Gelbart, B.S., Ph.D.

Director of Program Development and National Initiatives

mgelbart@pged.med.harvard.edu

Marnie's interests focus on fostering communication between scientists and the community, particularly on issues such as personal genetics, which will increasingly impact our health care in the coming years. She received her B.S in Biology from Haverford College, and in 2005, was awarded her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.  Her research as a graduate student and subsequently as a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School utilized molecular and genetic tools to investigate how genes are regulated in model organisms including yeast and fruit flies.  



Lauren Tomaselli, B.A., M.Ed  

Director of Curriculum and Training

ltomaselli@pged.med.harvard.edu

Lauren is working to ensure that education about personal genetics is accessible to all students, with a particular focus on urban and rural communities. In addition to generating curricula, she will be working to train teachers about the ethical and social issues people will face as personal genetics becomes a more frequent part of our health care decisions. Lauren received her B.A. in English and Women’s Studies from Syracuse University, and her Masters of Social Studies Education from New York University. She taught in New York City public schools for six years and brings significant experience to curriculum planning and developing engaging and challenging lessons.  



Dana Waring, B.F.A., M.L.A

Education Director and Co-founder of pgEd 

dwaring@pged.med.harvard.edu

Dana's role in pgEd includes developing curricula and conducting classes and workshops with a focus on the use and impact of personal genetics throughout the world. Her training in sociology, history of science and women’s studies allows her to bring an interdisciplinary approach to her teaching and curricula. Based in both Massachusetts and Maine, Dana is especially involved in expanding pgEd's efforts in New England. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from Syracuse University, and a Master of Liberal Arts from Harvard University.