Dr. Charlotte A. Hobbs joins the executive leadership team
February 11, 2019—The Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine (RCIGM) is pleased to announce that physician-scientist Charlotte A. Hobbs, MD, PhD, has assumed the role of Vice President of Research and Clinical Management.
Dr. Hobbs brings a wealth of experience as a distinguished clinician, researcher, medical educator and hospital administrator. She has directed national studies of birth defects and pediatric health funded by NIH and CDC, among others. She recently completed a $6.1 million NIH-funded Genome Wide Association study involving more than 8,000 individuals in eight states.
“We are very pleased to have recruited Dr. Hobbs to join the Institute’s executive leadership,” said Stephen Kingsmore, MD, DSc, President and CEO of the Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine. “She brings deep expertise in building biomedical research programs and a passion for improving patient outcomes. That combination makes her uniquely qualified to join us in our mission to transform pediatric care.”
In her new role, Dr. Hobbs will guide the growing research and clinical programs at RCIGM. She will oversee the clinical genomics team, including physicians, nurses, genetic counselors and project managers, providing them with the intellectual and administrative infrastructure to support the Institute’s initiatives and goals.
Prior to joining the Institute in January of this year, Dr. Hobbs was Executive Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and Arkansas Children’s Hospital. In that role, she supported faculty scientists in their mission to develop biomedical knowledge leading to improved healthcare.
At UAMS she held a number of key leadership positions. Until her departure in December 2018, she was also Chief Research Information Officer. During 2016-2017, as a professor in the Department of Pediatrics, she fulfilled the role of director and co-principal investigator of the NIH-funded Data Coordinating and Operations Center for the 17-site Pediatric Clinical Trial Network in 2016-2017. Throughout her career, she continued her clinical service in neonatology attending in Level I to III nurseries.
“I am delighted to be part of the Institute’s pioneering team bringing precision genomic medicine to the cribs and bedsides of critically ill infants and children,” said Dr. Hobbs. “I finished pediatric residency 23 years ago, before the first human genome was sequenced. At that time, it was beyond my wildest imagination that someday I would have the opportunity to bring together my experience and skills in clinical medicine, informatics and genomics to join an extraordinary team combining science and medicine to improve the health of babies and children for generations to come.”
Dr. Hobbs is married to Jim Robbins, PhD, a native of Little Rock, AR and a health service researcher. They have three adult children between the ages of 21 to 23, who are currently in college.