Research Bio
Dr. Fong's primary research interest is Genetics of orofacial clefts. Cleft lip and palate is a common birth defect that affects one in 700 children in the U. S. and around the world. Children with this birth defect face multiple challenges, such as feeding difficulty, hearing impairment, speech defects and many dental abnormalities. These problems, along with the cosmetic changes associated with the clefts, often result in life-long physical, educational and psychological handicaps. Caring of these children thus requires a team approach over long periods of time.
Cleft lip and palate is a familial trait, but the genetic factors that result in this abnormality have not been clearly identified. Recent calculations have led to the belief that as many as a couple dozen genetic factors may act together to cause cleft lip and palate, with a few of the factors being more important than the rest. Moreover, there is convincing evidence that environment factors, such as cigarette smoking by the pregnant mother, play a role in the development of cleft lip and palate in the fetus.
In these situations, the environmental and genetic factors act together to cause the birth defect. Therefore, cleft lip and palate is considered a multifactorial genetic disorder. The work in our laboratory is focused on finding the genetic factors for cleft lip and palate through linkage disequilibrium analyses. We believe that better treatment and prevention of cleft lip and palate will come from a better understanding of these genetic and environmental factors.
| Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award | Arnold P. Gold Foundation |
2007 |
| Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Teaching | Alumni Association, URSMD |
2007 |
| Elected Faculty Commencement Speaker | the URSMD Class of 2004 |
2004 |
| Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award | Medical Students Class of 2005 |
2004 |
| First Annual Loss Science Lecturer | St. John Fisher College | Rochester, NY |
2004 |
| Elected member of Alpha Omega Alpha Zeta Chapter | Class of 2005, URSMD |
2004 |
| Manuel D. Goldman Prize for Excellence in First Year Teaching | University of Rochester School of Med. and Dent. | Rochester, NY |
2004 - 2005 |
| URSMD Nominee of the American Association of Medical Colleges Award for Humanism in Medicine | Received commendation from the American Assoc. Medical Colleges |
2003 |
| Commendation for First Year Teaching | URSMD |
2003 |
| DeWitt Brower Dean's Teaching Fellowship | URSMD |
2002 - 2003 |
| Manuel D. Goldman Prize for Excellence in First Year Teaching | URSMD |
2002 |
| Ruth A. Lawrence Academic Faculty Service Award, Department of Pediatrics, | URSMD |
2001 |
| Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award given by the Pediatrics Housestaff | Strong Memorial Hospital |
1993 - 1994 |
2004 May
Yoon YJ, Perkiomaki MR, Tallents RH, Barillas I, Herrera-Guido R, Fong CT, Kyrkanides S. "Transverse craniofacial features and their genetic predisposition in families with nonsyndromic unilateral cleft lip and palate." The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal : official publication of the
American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. 2004 May 0; 41(3):256-61. |
2003 Sep
Yoon YJ, Perkiomaki MR, Tallents RH, Barillas I, Herrera-Guido R, Fong CT, Kyrkanides S. "Association of nasomaxillary asymmetry in children with unilateral cleft lip and palate and their parents." The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal : official publication of the
American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. 2003 Sep 0; 40(5):493-7. |
2003 Jul
Perkiomaki MR, Yoon YJ, Tallents RH, Barillas I, Herrera-Guido R, Moss ME, Fong CT, Kyrkanides S. "Association of distinct craniofacial features in nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate family members." The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal : official publication of the
American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. 2003 Jul 0; 40(4):397-402. |
2002 Mar
Suzuki T, Li W, Zhang Q, Karim A, Novak EK, Sviderskaya EV, Hill SP, Bennett DC, Levin AV, Nieuwenhuis HK, Fong CT, Castellan C, Miterski B, Swank RT, Spritz RA. "Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome is caused by mutations in HPS4, the human homolog of the mouse light-ear gene." Nature genetics. 2002 Mar 0; 30(3):321-4. Epub 2002 Feb 11. |
2001 Nov
Fong CT, Wang M, Young EC, Hogan CA, Tallents RH, Kyrkanides S, Liptak GS, Sanger JA, Frisina RD. "Microtia associated with the Kabuki (Niikawa-Kuroki) syndrome." Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American
Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. 2001 Nov 0; 125(5):557-8. |
