Washington—Joan Scott, director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center (GPPC), will leave Johns Hopkins University to become executive director of the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics (NCHPEG), effective Sept. 7.

Scott took over as head of the GPPC in 2009 when founder and then-director Kathy Hudson was tapped to become chief of staff to National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins. The GPPC was founded in 2002 at Johns Hopkins—with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts—to fill an important niche in the science policy landscape, and to focus exclusively on public-policy issues raised by advances in human genetics.

Over the years, the GPPC, a core component of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, has become a prominent source of research and policy analysis on genetics.

“I’m very sad to leave the center,” said Scott, “but the important work of the GPPC will continue.” She added, “I am pleased that I will be able to continue to work with Dave Kaufman and other center faculty and staff on their research.”

Kaufman, the center’s director of research and statistics, along with Gail Javitt, the GPPC’s former law and policy director, and Gail Geller, a Berman Institute professor and leading scholar in ethics and genetics, have been named to a strategic planning committee that will develop recommendations about future initiatives for the center. Javitt, who will chair the group, is currently a research scholar at the Berman Institute.

“Under Joan’s leadership, the center has continued to win funding and collect new data about why people want their genetic information, and the attitudes of customers of genetic testing companies who purchased genetic risk profiles online,” Kaufman said.“Joan’s hard workhas set the stage for the center to move forward with its mission.”

Many GPPC research projects are generously supported by the National Human Genome Research Institute’s ELSI (ethical, legal and social implications) Program. Among them are an examination of issues related to direct-to-consumer genetic testing, and an assessment of public attitudes about the expected benefits of participating in genetic research. That study also looks at people’s perspectives on disclosing, receiving and using genetic information collected or discovered as part of a large cohort study.

Scott will continue to be involved in those projects. In addition, Kaufman will be starting new research to examine genetic researcher attitudes and practices about similar issues.

“Joan has been a wonderful leader for the GPPC,” said Ruth Faden, director of the Berman Institute. “Although we are sorry to see her leave, the research being done at the center to shed light on the interface between advances in genetics and health care is even more important today as new discoveries make their way into clinical practice.”

Faden added, “We are committed to making sure that work goes forward.”

For more information, contact Michael Pena at 410-625-7872 or mpena@jhsph.edu.