WILLIAMS LAB - Key Persons
Hongsheng obtained his PhD in Statistical Genetics from the University of Hong Kong, and spent seven years in Hong Kong before moving to the USA. He is inspired by the phenomenon of missing heritability for genetic analyses of complex phenotypes. Most of his work and research are aiming to explore and prioritize genetic susceptibility variants, genes, and pathways for complex diseases using post-GWAS data mining technique and next generation sequencing. His current work is to use systems genetics approaches to investigate asthma diseases in African American population. He likes to play with his two lovely daughters in his free time.
Kyle graduated from Calvin College with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and Chinese Language. After conducting research in sociology and working abroad as a college English teacher, he is excited to contribute to the DIAMOND study as a project coordinator.
Job Titles:
- Principal Investigator
- Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine
Dr. Keoki Williams is a Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine and a Senior Scientist and co-director in the Center for Individualized and Genomic Medicine Research (CIGMa) at Henry Ford Health System. He graduated cum laude in both research and academics from the University of Michigan Medical School, and afterward he completed a medical residency in Internal Medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Following residency, he worked for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer. During his research career, he has been a Howard Hugh Medical Institute-National Institutes of Health (HHMI-NIH) Research Scholar, a National Research Service Award recipient, and an Early Excellence Awardee from the American Asthma Foundation. He has been a senior staff physician and research scientist at Henry Ford Health System since 2001, and has received seven separate independent investigator (R01) awards from the National Institutes of Health during this time period. The scope of his research includes the fields of genetics, genomics, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacogenomics, and epidemiology. His particular interests include assessing medication use and its effects in large patient populations and identifying the genetic predictors of medication response. He and his lab are actively involved in large-scale projects to identify the genetic causes of asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease (and fitness) and other common, but genetically complex, conditions.
Mao obtained a Master of Science degree in Biochemistry from Mississippi State University in 2002. She worked at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine for seven years until joining the laboratory. She applies both biochemical and genomic approaches to identify markers associated with asthma and allergy.
Samantha received her Master of Science degree in Health Psychology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Her love of research led her to joining the team. Samantha is involved in assisting investigators with grant submissions and post-award requirements, submission of yearly NIH progress reports, IRB form compliance, and is involved in R01 and U01 grand budgeting and management. She also designs data collection tools, manages study databases, and provides technical support to investigators. In her free time, Samantha enjoys practicing yoga, stand-up paddle boarding, and hiking.
Job Titles:
- CCRP - Sr. Project Coordinator
Samantha received her Masters of Science degree in Clinical Research Administration from Eastern Michigan University. Sam is involved in patient screening and patient recruitment. Sam enjoys spending time with her family.
Sami received his Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from Lyman Briggs College at Michigan State University and is completing a Master of Business Administration degree with a dual concentration in Finance and Management at Wayne State University. His passion for innovation in healthcare led him to the Center for Individualized and Genomic Medicine Research.
Whitney obtained her Bachelor of Science in Health Science, with a concentration in Lab Science from Wayne State University, and her Master of Science in Basic Medical Science from Wayne State University School of Medicine. She is involved in patient data collection and processing. In her spare time, Whitney enjoys spending time with her family.