Rex L Chisholm

Rex L. Chisholm, PhD, is the Vice Dean for Scientific Affairs and Graduate Education at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He also holds the Adam and Richard T. Lind Professor of Medical Genetics title and is a Professor in the Departments of Cell and Developmental Biology and Surgery. His work focuses on advancing genomic medicine and personalized healthcare through large-scale biobank studies, pharmacogenomics, and clinical informatics.

Education:

• PhD: University of Michigan (1980)
• Postdoctoral Fellow: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1984)

Research Interests:

Dr. Chisholm’s research is centered on translating genomic discoveries into clinical practice. He leads efforts in the eMERGE Network, leveraging Electronic Health Records (EHR) and biobank samples to study genetic susceptibility, therapeutic outcomes, and pharmacogenomics. His group also develops genome informatics tools, including genome annotation and visualization technologies.

His work spans bioinformatics, cell biology, cytoskeleton biology, and genomic medicine. He is particularly focused on polygenic risk scores, clinical implementation of genomics, and population-scale genomic studies.

Scientific Awards & Honors:

• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2004)
• Chair, Public Information Committee, American Society for Cell Biology (2006–2010)
• Scientific Advisory Board Member, National Center for Biomedical Ontology (2010–Present)
• Scientific Advisory Board Member, PhenX (2010–Present)
• Member, National Human Genome Research Institute Advisory Council (2008–2012)

Clinical Trials & Leadership:

Dr. Chisholm leads the NUGene Project, a clinical trial focused on gene-disease associations and treatment outcomes. The study recruits participants from Northwestern Medicine and affiliates to support genomic research across cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

Institute & Center Affiliations:

• Center for Diabetes and Metabolism
• Center for Genetic Medicine
• Institute for Augmented Intelligence in Medicine
• Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM)
• Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS)
• Northwestern University Institute of Neuroscience (NUIN)
• Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health (IGH)
• Simpson Querrey Center for Neurogenetics