Emily Spector

Emily Spector, from Columbus, Ohio, graduated First Honors from the University of Georgia in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Genetics and a minor in Health Policy and Management. At UGA, she studied the epigenetic regulation of heparan sulfate biosynthesis. During summers at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Center for Gene Therapy she modeled rare neurodegenerative diseases using direct patient fibroblast to neuron conversion. Further, as a research assistant for Geisinger and the Clinical Genome Resource she recalibrated scoring metrics for Copy Number Variant classification in preparation for forthcoming updates to ACMG/CAP/AMP/ClinGen Guidelines and presented this top-rated work at ACMG, 2024.

Beyond her passion for research, Emily served as president of the UGA Genetics club, volunteers for an OhioHealth pregnancy and infant loss support group and continues to lead her 11-year-old non-profit, the Read to Succeed Foundation, which has distributed over 190,000 books to families in need in Columbus, OH. In her free time, Emily loves practicing yoga, taking nature walks, and reading.