Susan Gross, MD (Honoree), received her medical degree from University of Toronto in 1985, where she also completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology and a maternal fetal medicine fellowship, as well as a second residency in medical genetics at the University of Tennessee at Memphis under Dr. Sherman Elias. She is currently a professor and department chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and the medical director of the Human Genetics Laboratory at Jacobi Medical Center. Dr. Gross is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American College of Medical Genetics and the Royal College of Surgeons (Canada).

Amy Harmon (Keynote speaker, panel moderator) is a national correspondent for The New York Times, covering the impact of science and technology on American life. She won a 2008 Pulitzer Prize for her series The DNA Age, which examined DNA tests that reveal more than we are sometimes prepared to learn about who we are, where we came from and what might be in store for us in the future. Ms. Harmon joined The New York Times in 1997, writing about the social impact of digital technology. It was her first experience with long-form narrative writing, which she persists in attempting even though she is told Web readers can’t bear to read more than three paragraphs, max.

Deborah Lindner, MD (Panelist), is an obstetrician/gynecologist with the Women’s Group of Northwestern University. Dr. Lindner completed her medical school training at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, during which time she also studied abroad as an Oxford University Scholar. She has a longstanding interest in global health, and has worked in both the Philippines and Rwanda to target health care to the specific needs of women. Her special interests include gynecologic surgery and management of women at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer based on their family history.

Arthur Kessler (Panelist) was diagnosed with generalized dystonia at the age of 12. Thanks to new technologies and medical advances, he is the proud father of two sons, neither of whom are carriers of the disorder, and the symptoms of his dystonia are almost totally under control. Mr. Kessler serves as co-vice president of science for the Dystonia Foundation’s board of directors, and works as a private equity investor. He has spoken to many organizations and news outlets about preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) and how they have affected his life and his family.

Dennis Kessler (Honoree) is a principle in Family Business Innovations, a firm specializing in consulting with family businesses on succession planning, as well as president of Kessler Management Consulting and former copresident of Fel Pro Incorporated. He has served in numerous leadership positions, as well as advisory board memberships and guest lectureships. He has also received the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award from Washington University Engineering School. Mr. Kessler has previously served on a volunteer basis as president of the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, and currently serves as chair of the Board of Directors for the Chicago Center for Jewish Genetic Disorders.

Joanna Rudnick (Panelist) is the director of Emmy-nominated documentary In the Family, which chronicles her personal journey of testing positive for a deadly genetic mutation. Ms. Rudnick received a Master’s degree in Science and Environmental Journalism from New York University and a Bachelor’s degree in English from Northwestern University. She currently sits on the Illinois Humanities Council’s Steering Committee on Genetics, helping to create programming for “Future Perfect: Conversations on the Meaning of the Genetics Revolution,” a statewide series exploring the new science of genetics. Read more at Kartemquin Films.