2026 IMC Speakers
Join MitoAction and the International Network for Fatty Acid Oxidation Research and Management (INFORM) for the 7th Annual International Metabolic Conference for Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorders in Detroit, Michigan, on July 25-26, 2026.
Jerry Vockley, MD, PhD, FACMG
Jerry Vockley, MD, PhD, FACMG
Dr. Vockley received his undergraduate degree at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and received his MD and PhD degrees in Medicine and Genetics from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He completed his pediatric residency at the Denver Children’s Hospital, Denver, Colorado, and his postdoctoral fellowship in Human Genetic and Pediatrics at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. Before assuming his current position in Pittsburgh, Dr. Vockley was Chair of Medical Genetics in the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine.
Dr. Vockley is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of inborn errors of metabolism. His current research focuses on mitochondrial energy metabolism, novel therapies for disorders of fatty acid oxidation and amino acid metabolism, and population genetics of the Plain communities in the United States. He has published over 320 peer reviewed scholarly articles and is the principal or Co-investigator on multiple NIH grants. Dr.Vockley has an active clinical research program and participates in and consults on multiple gene therapy trials. Dr. Vockley has served on numerous national and international scientific boards including the Advisory Committee (to the Secretary of Health and Human Services) on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children, where he was chair of the technology committee. He is a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is a Founding Fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, and currently serves on its board of directors. He is founder and chair of the International Network on Fatty Acid Oxidation Research and Management (INFORM). He has served as chair of the Pennsylvania State Newborn Screening Advisory Committee and is a past president of the International Organizing Committee for the International Congress on Inborn Errors of Metabolism and the Society for the Inherited Metabolic Disorders (SIMD). He is co-founder and editor of the SIMD North American Metabolic Academy. He provides support for numerous family advocacy groups including MitoAction, the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, the National PKU Association, and the Organic Acidemia Association.
Past Expert Series Presentations
Melanie Gillingham, PhD, RD, LD
Melanie Gillingham, PhD, RD, LD
Dr. Melanie Gillingham’s research in the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics has focused on various novel therapies for fatty acid oxidation disorders. For 20 years, Dr. Gillingham and her colleagues have conducted clinical trials in subjects with disorders in the fatty acid oxidation pathway. She has examined the effects of medium chain triglycerides (MCT) supplements prior to exercise on exercise performance among subjects with long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD) deficiency receiving the Emmanuel Shapira Award for best paper in Molecular Genetics and Metabolism. The Gillingham lab has evaluated the effects of increased dietary protein on metabolic control and energy balance in subjects with LCHAD, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 (CPT-2) and very long-chain acylCoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiencies. In a separate study, Dr. Gillingham conducted supervised metabolic fasting studies in young children with a polymorphism of the CPT1A gene to determine if they have an altered fasting response similar to other fatty acid oxidation disorders.
In 2014, a group of FAO researchers, under the leadership of Dr. Jerry Vockley, founded the International Network for Fatty Acid Oxidation Research and Management (INFORM), an international group working for the advancement of medical and nutrition therapies for fatty acid oxidation disorders (www.informnetwork.org). Dr. Gillingham participates on the organizing committee of INFORM.
Dr. Vockley and Dr. Gillingham completed a randomized trial to examine the effects of an odd-chain fatty acid supplement, triheptanion, on myopathy and cardiac function of patients with long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders. This is the largest randomized controlled trial conducted in these disorders to date and was recently selected for the Garrod award by the Society for the Study of Inborn Errors of Metabolism (SSIEM). Dr. Gillingham has also conducted a series of studies examining the etiology of retinopathy in LCHAD and the role of diet in the progression of vision loss. Dr. Gillingham is currently conducting a larger natural history study of LCHAD retinopathy.
Past Expert Series Presentations
Georgianne Arnold, MD, Phd
Georgianne Arnold, MD, Phd
Dr. Arnold graduated from Indiana University with degrees in biology and chemistry, and has a Masters degree in Medical Genetics from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. She graduated from medical school from Upstate Medical University, and completed a residency in Pediatrics at Northwestern University. Her genetics training was at the University of Colorado and she is boarded in Clinical Biochemical Genetics and Clinical Genetics.
Dr. Arnold was Clinical Director and most recently Clinical Research Director at the University of Pittsburgh. She is an Emeritus Professor, and a consultant with VMP Genetics. Dr. Arnold is the past president of the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders, and recipient of the Shapira award for the best member’s paper in Molecular Genetics and Metabolism. She has a long-standing interest in fatty acid oxidation disorders, working with Dr. Vockley for 13 years.
Past Expert Series Presentations
Amanda Pritchard, MD
Amanda Pritchard, MD
Dr. Amanda Barone Pritchard is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at University of Michigan Health in the division of Pediatric Genetics, Metabolism, and Genomic Medicine. Dr. Pritchard attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine before completing Pediatric Residency at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. She then trained in Medical Genetics and Genomics and completed a Medical Biochemical Genetics fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She has been involved in several clinical trials for inborn errors of metabolism and aids in coordination of follow-up for abnormal newborn screens. Dr. Pritchard serves as Program Director for the Medical Biochemical Genetics Fellowship at the University of Michigan
Jessica Gold, MD, PhD
Jessica Gold, MD, PhD
Dr. Jessica Gold is a medical geneticist trained in pediatrics and internal medicine with a fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She currently practices at Northwell Health in NY. Both her clinical work and research is dedicated to helping adolescents and young adults with inherited metabolic disorders prepare for adulthood. For many young people, puberty and reproductive health are important milestones in emerging adulthood. Yet, clinicians lack information on these topics for people with FAODs, which impacts their ability to provide guidance. Dr. Gold is embarking on a project that is the first step in learning how people with FAODs approach puberty and reproductive health.
Pamela Tucker, DPT, PT
Pamela Tucker, DPT, PT
Following her undergraduate studies at Duke University, Pamela Tucker obtained her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Franklin Pierce University. Her clinical experience includes the management of outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation of infant, pediatric, and adult populations.
She is a senior Physical Therapist at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh and UPMC with specialties in pediatric, neurological, vestibular, and concussion interventions. Her research interests include physical therapy interventions for children with inherited metabolic disorders, aquatic physical therapy, concussion management, and robotic-assisted mobility training. Dr. Tucker is currently working on a physical therapy protocol for recovering from rhabdomyolysis.
Past Expert Series Presentations
Daniela Karall, MD, IBCLC
Daniela Karall, MD, IBCLC
Sarah Grünert, MD
Sarah Grünert, MD
Dwight Koeberl, MD, PhD
Dwight Koeberl, MD, PhD
Dr. Koeberl attended Carleton College, and then Mayo Medical School and Graduate School, before moving to UCSF for his pediatrics residency. He then completed fellowship training in Clinical and Biochemical Genetics at the University of Washington, before joining the Division of Medical Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics at Duke University in 1999. He serves as Medical Director for the Pediatrics Biochemical Genetics Laboratory and sees patients in the Metabolic Clinic. His research has focused on the development of new therapy for inherited metabolic disorders, including glycogen storage disease type Ia and Pompe disease. He initiated a clinical trial of AAV8 gene therapy for Pompe disease that is ongoing. His laboratory is currently developing genetic therapies for trifunctional protein deficiency and LCHAD deficiency.