Jim Daley, Ph.D.

I grew up in southeastern Wisconsin with a younger sister with Angelman syndrome. Jennie was diagnosed at age 10 in 1991 after my mom read an article about Angelman syndrome in a magazine and brought it to the attention of our family pediatrician. We went to our first ASF conference that summer. Being around other AS kids and siblings at the conference was a life changing experience for 13-year-old me. My decision to become a scientist was inspired by my sister, and I was drawn to the field of genome instability after learning that her condition was caused by a large deletion on chromosome 15. Jennie is in her mid 40s now, and although she has slowed down a bit over the years, she still has plenty of hugs for her brother, and her smile and the joy that she radiates are as contagious as ever!