NHGRI appoints Erin Ramos as the next director of the Division of Genome Sciences

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has appointed Erin Ramos, Ph.D., M.P.H., as the director of the Division of Genome Sciences (DGSci).  

DGSci funds basic science-oriented genomics research as part of NHGRI’s Extramural 
Research Program, including supporting the development of resources, technologies, and analytical tools that drive human genomics research. DGSci also funds major large-scale initiatives, such as the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project, the Human Genome Reference Program and the Impact on Genomic Variation on Function (IGVF) Consortium.

“Erin’s multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to science, along with her outstanding accomplishments in program development and management, make her ideally suited for joining the leadership of NHGRI’s Extramural Research Program,” said Eric Green, M.D., Ph.D. “I am thrilled to have her at the helm of our Division of Genome Sciences.”

My vision for leading DGSci is grounded in pillars of collaboration, strategic decision-making, inclusion, and empathy. I plan to integrate these pillars within the fantastic programs that the previous DGSci directors and team established and to continue supporting the wonderful people who are producing excellent science.

As director, Dr. Ramos will oversee the myriad research programs led by DGSci and partner with other NHGRI divisions and offices to amplify NHGRI’s commitment to impactful science at the forefront of genomics. In her new role, Dr. Ramos aims to foster bi-directional communication and collaboration between the researchers who are generating the foundational resources, technologies, and large genomics datasets and the clinical genomics community who are using the tools to implement genomic medicine.

“My vision for leading DGSci is grounded in pillars of collaboration, strategic decision-making, inclusion, and empathy,” said Dr. Ramos. “I plan to integrate these pillars within the fantastic programs that the previous DGSci directors and team established and to continue supporting the wonderful people who are producing excellent science.”  

Dr. Ramos’ passion for science began with a middle school biology teacher, Mr. Knecht, who introduced her to the world of genetics and Punnett squares, a tool used to predict genotypes and expected phenotypes of offspring. She later obtained her B.S. in biology from Pennsylvania State University, where she trained with Dr. Nina Fedoroff and discovered her interests in statistics, genetic analyses and population-level health. Blending her passion for genetics and epidemiology, Dr. Ramos earned a M.P.H. and Ph.D. in public health genetics from the University of Washington. While a graduate student, she studied the genetic epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease and simultaneously worked as a research consultant for the NIH-funded National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, developing and implementing standardized data-collection protocols and data-access polices for the Alzheimer’s disease research community. During that time, she came to appreciate the incredible impact, as well as the challenges, of data sharing and cross-project collaboration.

Dr. Ramos came to NHGRI in 2007 as a program director, initially in the Office of Population Genomics and later in the extramural Division of Genomic Medicine (DGM). Her early work included establishing the Phenotypes and Exposures (PhenX) Toolkit as a resource for supporting simplified, standardized data collection and facilitating cross-study analyses and data sharing. She also launched the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) as a consensus resource for evaluating the clinical relevance of genes and genomic variants. With Dr. Ramos’ leadership, ClinGen has since grown to an international consortium of over 2,800 clinicians and researchers across 69 countries. In 2020, Dr. Ramos was promoted to DGM deputy director of DGM, where she helped implement and oversee multiple genomic medicine projects and trans-NIH consortia, including the Polygenic Risk Methods in Diverse Populations (PRIMED) program, the developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (dGTEx) program and the Multi-Omics for Health and Disease (MOHD) program.

“I am excited to join an exceptionally talented DGSci team. The technologies, tools, and data resources they developed under the leadership of my predecessors, Dr. Jeff Schloss and Dr. Carolyn Hutter, have been truly impactful, and I strive to ensure our future programs are equally transformative for researchers and clinicians” said Dr. Ramos. “Additionally, as a mother of three children, I’m grateful to join an NHGRI leadership team that encourages prioritizing family alongside work. It’s important for younger professionals to see that, while it is not always easy, it is possible and rewarding to navigate growing leadership roles and family priorities at the same time.”

Dr. Ramos has authored and co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed research papers and has received numerous awards, including four NHGRI Genome Recognition of Employee Accomplishments and Talents (GREAT) Awards, six NIH Director’s Awards and the HHS Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service.

Lisa Chadwick, Ph.D., will partner with Dr. Ramos as the new DGSci deputy director. In her previous role as a DGSci program director, Dr. Chadwick oversaw numerous research grants as well as NHGRI’s GREGoR Consortium program.

Dr. Ramos began her appointment as DGSci director on Dec. 29, 2024.