Merlin G. Butler, M.D., Ph.D.

Since 1998, Dr. Butler has been Chief of the Section of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, is recipient of the William R. Brown/Missouri Chair in Medical Genetics and is Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine. He was Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Regional Genetics Program at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee from 1984 – 98. He received his MD from the University of Nebraska in 1978 and his PhD in Medical Genetics from Indiana University in 1984. He was an NIH Fellow in Medical Genetics at Indiana University from 1980 – 83. He became a Diplomat of the American Board of Medical Genetics in 1984 and is certified in Clinical Genetics and Clinical Cytogenetics. He became a Founding Fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics in 1993. He was elected to serve a three-year term on the ACMG/CAP Cytogenetics Resource Committee in 1993. He is Chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) and received the 25^th Anniversary Research Award by PWSA (USA) in 2000. He is a member of several professional organizations including NIH study sections and has conducted extramurally funded genetics research on Prader-Willi, Angelman and fragile X syndromes, autism and obesity. He was recently listed in the 2004 – 2005 Guide to America’s Top Physicians by the Consumer’s Research Council of America. He has authored over 300 research articles, chapters and videos in areas of dysmorphology, genotype-phenotype correlations, clinical delineation of genetic syndromes, clinical cytogenetics, and gene expression studies. He is an editor of two textbooks (1) Management of Prader-Willi Syndrome, 3^rd ed., Springer-Verlag, NY and (2) Genetics of Developmental Disabilities, 1^st ed., Taylor & Francis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL and one journal issue (Progress in Pediatric Cardiology) entitled Genetics of Pediatric Heart Disease, all to be published in 2005.