Monica Wojcik, MD, MPH, FAAP, FACMG is the recipient of the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine’s 2025 Dr. Michael S. Watson Genetic and Genomic Medicine Innovation Award—the “Watson Award”—named for the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics’ first and longstanding executive director, Michael S. Watson, MS, PhD, FACMG.
“I am incredibly thrilled and humbled to receive this award, and I hope that my career will continue to honor the legacy of Dr. Watson, towards a future where all families can receive the care that they want and need, empowered by genetics and genomics,” said Dr. Wojcik.
“The ACMG Foundation is thrilled to have chosen Dr. Wojcik as the 2025 recipient of the Michael S. Watson Award. Her work to champion the understanding and treatment of rare diseases from fetal to neonatal care is tremendous. She exemplifies the aims of this prestigious ACMG Foundation award,” said Nancy J. Mendelsohn, MD, FACMG, president of the ACMG Foundation.
Dr. Wojcik is a neonatologist and clinical geneticist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School who specializes both clinically and academically in rare diseases affecting the fetus and neonate. Following her pediatric residency, she pursued combined fellowship training in both neonatology and genetics and subsequently obtained her Master of Public Health degree to augment her clinical effectiveness and health services research. She currently serves as the Director of the Neonatal Genomics Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Medical Director of the Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research. Dr. Wojcik’s research focuses on the application of genomic medicine in the perinatal setting, particularly related to genetic diagnosis in the neonatal intensive care unit, understanding genetic causes of perinatal mortality via genomic autopsy, and addressing inequities in rare disease genomics. In her clinical practice, she is an attending in the neonatal intensive care unit at Boston Children’s Hospital and on the inpatient genetics service, consults prenatally for complex fetal cases, and runs a multidisciplinary developmental follow-up clinic for infants with genetic conditions.
“The ACMGF is delighted to acknowledge the next generation of exceptional genetics and genomics professionals. We hope that Dr. Wojcik continues to make innovative contributions that positively impact the field for years to come,” said Melanie J. Wells, MPH, CAE, ACMG Chief Executive Officer.
About the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine
The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a community of supporters and contributors who understand the importance of medical genetics and genomics in healthcare. Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation supports the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) mission to “translate genes into health.” Through its work, the ACMG Foundation fosters charitable giving, promotes training opportunities to attract future medical geneticists and genetic counselors to the field, shares information about medical genetics and genomics, and sponsors important research. To learn more and support the ACMG Foundation mission to create “Better Health through Genetics” visit acmgfoundation.org.
Note to editors: To arrange interviews with experts in medical genetics, contact ACMG Communications Manager, Barry Eisenberg, MS at beisenberg@acmg.net.