Jennifer Taylor honored with International Society for Neonatal Screening/Bio-Rad Dussault Medal for young investigators

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – Jennifer Taylor, Ph.D., a senior research analyst at RTI International, has been awarded the 2015 International Society for Neonatal Screening/Bio-Rad Dussault Medal for young investigators. 

The award honors society members under 40 years of age who have dedicated research to improve neonatal or other population-based screening. Taylor has extensive experience in the design and validation of molecular assays for high-throughput newborn screening assays. 

"Jennifer plays a critical role in our rapidly growing newborn screening work to test for harmful or potentially fatal disorders that aren't otherwise visible at birth," said Don Bailey, Ph.D., distinguished fellow at RTI. "She is well-deserving of this award for her contributions to neonatal screening."

Most recently, Taylor's work includes two  newborn screening pilot studies for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) conducted in North Carolina.

As a senior research analyst at RTI, Taylor advises projects on laboratory methodology, assay validation and implementation of high-throughput screening assays. Taylor has authored and co-authored multiple peer-reviewed publications as well as presented at domestic and international scientific meetings. She is a member of the International Society of Neonatal Screening, the National Organization of Black Chemist and Chemical Engineers, and the American Chemical Society. 

Taylor achieved her doctorate in chemistry at Georgia Institute of Technology and bachelor's degree in chemistry for George Mason University.