Leadership & Staff

“I am honored, humbled and thrilled to assume the Presidency of the ACMG at this remarkable time in the history of our specialty, one that we have been anxiously anticipating,” said Dr. Irons. “A time when rapid advancements in genomic testing increasingly informs not only the daily care of our patients but also the development of therapies for conditions that were previously untreatable. We now increasingly have the ability to use the knowledge and tools of genetics and genomics to impact larger populations by working with our colleagues across all specialties, educating our patients and the public, and most importantly advocating for the resources necessary to do so responsibly with a focus on equity, access, and improving disparities in healthcare.”

Dr. Irons has held a number of positions within the ACMG (“the College”) including as a member of the Finance Committee, the Board of Directors, and the Nominations Committee. For the last two years, she served the College as president-elect. She has been a member of the ACMG Foundation Development Committee and the Task Force on Medical Genetics Education. She chaired the Conflict of Interest Subcommittee, the Education Committee and the Maintenance of Certification Committee and served as a member of the Professional Practices and Guidelines Committee, along with many more volunteer roles within the ACMG.

Recognized as a leading expert in medical genetics, Dr. Irons is Associate Chief of the Division of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children’s Hospital. She holds the Park Gerald Chair in Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital. She also serves as the Program Director for the Medical Genetics Residency and Fellowship Programs at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She is a member of the Board of Directors of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. She is also a member of the Roundtable on Genomics and Precision Health at the National Academy of Medicine and she is a Member of the Faculty at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Irons divides her time between clinical practice, teaching, research and administrative duties. She has participated in multiple local and national clinical trials and co-authored many peer-reviewed publications. Her research has focused on integrating new forms of genetic and genomic testing into clinical practice, identification of new biochemical genetic disorders and Neurofibromatosis, type 1. Dr. Irons speaks extensively at regional, national and international medical conferences including more than 45 invited presentations in the last 10 years.

Melanie J. Wells, MPH is a nonprofit executive, community advocate, and entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in the public health and nonprofit sectors. During her career, she has served medically vulnerable communities in North Carolina, Florida, the District of Columbia and Maryland. Her areas of expertise include: nonprofit governance, strategic planning, full-cycle grants administration, health education, as well as program design, implementation, and evaluation.

As the Chief Executive Officer for the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine (ACMGF), Ms. Wells works closely with the Boards of Directors to set and execute the strategic visions of both organizations. She has been with ACMG and ACMGF for over eight years previously serving as the Director of Administration and Chief Operations Officer, before being named CEO in April of 2023.

Ms. Wells has a passion to help others reach their potential and willingly shares what she has learned on her professional and personal journey. Ms. Wells was a Pogue Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. She also has a Master of Public Health in Health Policy Management with a concentration in Health Care Organizations Management from the University of South Florida. She earned her certification for association executives (CAE) in 2020. Melanie resides in Baltimore with her husband Michael and black lab, Bella.