In the news


Adam Guenzel, Ph.D., receives 2021 Richard King Trainee Award

April 16, 2021

Photo of Adam Guenzel, Ph.D.
Adam Guenzel, Ph.D.

Adam Guenzel, Ph.D., a clinical laboratory fellow in Laboratory Genetics and Genomics at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is the recipient of the 2021 Richard King Trainee Award for his publication “The critical role of psychosine in screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of Krabbe disease.”

This annual award is given by the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine to recognize the most outstanding research publication by a trainee in the ACMG journal, Genetics in Medicine, during the previous year. The journal’s editorial board reviews all articles published in Genetics in Medicine by eligible trainees who were either a first or corresponding author. Dr. Guenzel’s research was published in February 2020.  

Dr. Guenzel earned his Ph.D. in virology and gene therapy from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in 2014. He went on to complete a clinical laboratory fellowship in biochemical genetics in Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology in 2019. He will finish his current fellowship at Mayo Clinic in June.

The work for Dr. Guenzel’s award-winning publication took place during his time as a fellow in the Biochemical Genetics Laboratory.

“I was thrilled to receive the King Award. Newborn screening for Krabbe disease has previously been a contentious issue because of the high number of false positives, but infants with this disease can really benefit from early detection,” Dr. Guenzel says. “This study shows that we have been able to refine the process and provide benefits to our patient population. Many people were involved in this study, and this recognition validates the work that has gone into developing and refining our assays.”

Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation supports the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics’ mission to translate genes into health. It works to foster charitable giving, promote training opportunities, share information about medical genetics, and sponsor research. This ACMG Foundation award is named for Dr. Richard King in recognition of his instrumental role in creating Genetics in Medicine and serving as the journal’s founding editor-in-chief.

Tracy Will

Tracy Will is a senior marketing specialist at Mayo Clinic Laboratories where she covers innovation, specialty testing, and advances in laboratory medicine. Tracy has worked at Mayo Clinic since 2016.