Dr. Sharon Plon is a board-certified medical geneticist and a longstanding researcher in the areas of cancer genetics, including the discovery of new cancer susceptibility genes and implementation of genomic testing in medicine. Dr. Plon is a Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics/Hematology-Oncology, Molecular and Human Genetics and Human Genome Sequencing Center. Drs. Plon and D. William Parsons were principal investigators of the NHGRI/NCI-funded BASIC3 clinical trial on the incorporation of exome sequencing into the care of newly diagnosed childhood cancer patients and this study is now being expanded into several different centers in Texas (KidsCanSeq trial). Samples from pediatric cancer patients and their parents in BASIC3 have been further investigated through whole genome sequencing as part of the Kids First research program. Since 2013, Dr. Plon has served as one of the Principal Investigators of the NIH-supported Clinical Genome (ClinGen) Resource. She is also working closely with Dr. Philip Lupo on a population-based study to understand the association between birth defects and cancer risk in children.
