Principal Investigator: Olivia J. Veatch, Ph.D., M.S.

Dr. Veatch earned her Ph.D. in Human Genetics from Vanderbilt University under the direction of Dr. Jonathan L. Haines. Prior to her doctoral training, she earned her M.S. in Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering from the University of Hawai’i-Manoa. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship and was junior faculty at the University of Pennsylvania where she studied the genetics of sleep and circadian rhythms and earned certification in biomedical informatics. Her extensive research training in developmental biology, molecular and statistical genetics, and biomedical informatics has provided her with a unique skill set useful to understanding the underlying mechanisms influencing disorders of the brain. Joining the faculty at the University of Kansas Medical Center has brought Dr. Veatch back to her family and her first home. She earned her B.S. in Genetics from the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Her research experiences began as an undergraduate working with Dr. Merlin G. Butler, who established the lab she now directs. Outside of the lab, Olivia enjoys reading, spending time in nature, traveling, appreciating art and live music. View her full bio

Senior Scientist/Lab Manager: Waheeda A. Hossain, M.D., MPH

Dr. Hossain earned her MBBS degree (M.D.) from Dhaka Medical College-Dhaka University in Bangladesh where her primary focus of study was anatomy, physiology, obstetrics/gynecology and surgery. She had her first child while completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University after which she earned her MPH in Maternal and Child Health at Tulane University School of Public Health. She moved back to Connecticut as a postdoctoral fellow and was promoted to assistant professor in Neuroscience at the University of Connecticut Health Center (and became a mother for the second time). She eventually made her way to Kansas City taking a clinical assistant professorship at the University of Missouri-Kansas City before moving to the University of Kansas Medical Center where she has been conducting research in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences since 2013. Dr. Hossain has more than 30 years of research experience with extensive knowledge of molecular genetics, statistics and quantitative/qualitative data analysis. She also has a strong background in teaching and mentoring of undergraduate, graduate and medical students. In addition to her scientific endeavors, Dr. Hossain speaks six languages fluently and loves to travel!

Emeritus Professor: Merlin G. Butler, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Butler earned his M.D. from the University of Nebraska and a Ph.D. in Medical Genetics from Indiana University School of Medicine. Between 1980 and 1984, he completed an American Board of Medical Genetics (ABMG)-accredited postgraduate training and fellowship in Medical Genetics and was named a Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Genetics in 1984. He was inducted into the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMGG) in 1993 as a Founding Fellow. He has had an honorable, highly impactful career as a physician scientist and laboratory and medical geneticist specializing in diagnosing, treating and researching rare genetic diseases, chromosomal and neurodevelopmental disorders, autism, and congenital abnormalities with the use of advanced genomic technologies.

His extraordinary efforts have paved the way for the MGB Lab to thrive and continue expanding the understanding of how genomic data can be used to inform medical care. When Dr. Butler is not serving on professional and disease foundation organizations, editing genetics journals and special issues, and adding to his bibliography of over 500 peer-reviewed manuscripts and over 100 book chapters and textbooks, he is enjoying spending quality time with his grandchildren—preferably somewhere outdoors with good fishing.