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Director of Biomedical Research of the Nemours Foundation
Member of INBRE Steering Committee
Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
Nemours Biomedical Research
1600 Rockland Road
Wilmington, DE 19803
Phone: (302) 651-6819
FAX: (302) 651-6876
E-mail: vfunanag@nemours.org
Education:
Ph.D., Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, 1981
M.S., Genetics, Pennsylvania State University, 1977
B.S., Biology, Pennsylvania State University, 1975
Biography:
Dr. Funanage received a BS in biology and a Master's degree in genetics from the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Delaware in Newark, DE. Following her Ph.D. she joined Nemours in 1981 where she worked under the direction of the Chief of Microbial Genetics at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware.
Since 2000, she has been the Director of Biomedical Research of the Nemours Foundation. Although located in Wilmington, Dr. Funanage oversees all operating functions for the Delaware and Florida research programs and is also responsible for spearheading research partnerships and collaborative initiatives with the scientific, medical and educational communities. In addition, she is Director of Medical Research, Director of the Molecular Diagnostic Lab (genetests.org), and Chief of the Musculoskeletal Inherited Disease Research Program, at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. She is also Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA.
Ongoing research conducted in Dr. Funanage's laboratory (Musculoskeletal Inherited Disease Laboratory [MID]) involves projects designed to provide benefit to children afflicted with neuromuscular diseases such as muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, and myotonic dystrophy. In addition, Dr. Funanage is involved in a number of collaborative efforts including the study of leptin, an important hormone that regulates energy metabolism and utilization and its importance in fetal and neonatal growth and development; and investigation of the genetic and biochemical basis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
Dr. Funanage is strongly published in peer-reviewed journals and is an editorial reviewer for six prestigious journals. She is a member of the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers, the International Society for Heart Research, the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Human Genetics and the American Society for Cell Biology. Her committee involvement is extensive and includes the Delaware Science and Technology Council, American Heart Association Research Council, External Advisory Committees of INBRE and IGERT, and the Myotonic Dystrophy Working Group of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. She holds several patents for her research efforts, was inducted into the Phi Sigma Biological Honor Society, and most recently received the University of Delaware's Distinguished Alumnus Award for Biological Sciences.
