Dr. William Kimberling started his career in medical genetics at the Medical Center of Indiana University where he received his Ph.D. in 1969. From there he went on to the Division of Experimental Medicine at the University of Oregon Medical School where he, as a postdoctoral fellow, first became interested in gene mapping and gene discovery. From there he went to be an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Medical School and continued with genetic research and gene mapping studies. In 1979 he went to Boys Town Research Hospital where he established a medical genetics program in communication disorders. It was there that he first became interested in Usher syndrome and had seen several families for genetic counseling. In the mid 1980s, the Foundation Fighting Blindness issued a call for proposals for several disorders including Usher syndrome. He submitted a grant and it was awarded. Since then, he has held several federal grants, including a center grant, on Usher syndrome and related disorders. During these studies he and his collaborators have been responsible for the identification of 4 of the nine Usher genes. Last year he was a visiting professor at the Carver Molecular Laboratory with Dr. Edwin Stone and together they worked on an inexpensive but accurate means of screening young children for Usher syndrome. The collaboration between Boys Town and Iowa is continuing and they are now in the process of setting up several Usher screening projects.
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