Vicky Funanage, PhD

Biography

Dr. Funanage is a molecular geneticist who joined Nemours in July 1981. She holds faculty positions at Jefferson Medical College/Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Delaware. Dr. Funanage was appointed to the position of Director of Biomedical Research for Nemours in June 2000, and she also serves as the Director of the CLIA-certified Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory and Head of the Musculoskeletal Inherited Disease Laboratory at Nemours/AIDHC. Her recent committee service includes the Research and Development Task Force for the Delaware Health Science Alliance (DHSA), the DHSA Coordinating Council, the DE-INBRE Steering Committee, the UD College of Health Sciences Advisory Committee, the Chair of the Internal Advisory Committee for the Delaware Clinical and Translational Research Program, and the Delaware Valley Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences Executive Committee. Dr. Funanage has received external funding for her research work in understanding the genomic basis of pediatric musculoskeletal and neuromuscular disorders, and her publications include research on several neuromuscular diseases including myotonic dystrophy, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, fibrous dysplasia, and spinal muscular atrophy. Dr. Funanage received her M.S. in Genetics from the Pennsylvania State University in 1977, and her Ph.D in Biological Sciences from the University of Delaware in 1981. Her undergraduate degree is from The Pennsylvania State University (1975). She has received numerous honors, including the Distinguished Alumnus Award in Biological Sciences from the University of Delaware and the Bleyer Family Humanitarian Award from the Huntington's Disease Society. Dr. Funanage also holds six U.S. patents and one international patent for her research work.

Education & Training

Medical/Dental School

• BS - The Pennsylvania State University, Biology, 1975
• MS - The Pennsylvania State University, Genetics, 1977
• PhD - University of Delaware, Genetics/Biological Sciences, 1981