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Genetic Disease Foundation GDF was a founding member of the Jewish Genetic Disease Consortium JGDC whose mission is to educate medical professionals clergy and the general public to increase awareness about genetic diseases and encourage timely and appropriate carrier screening for anyone starting or expending their family. Over its 25year history the GDF raised millions of dollars to help enable advancements in identifying the genetic basis of many diseases and to help raise awarenessaboutcarrier testing and newborn screening as well as increase physician and public awareness of genetic disorders. Funds raised by the Foundation helped enable the purchase of stateoftheart DNA sequencing mass spectrometry and gene mutation detection equipment for Mount Sinais Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences. This technology helped expedite diagnosis and research for a range of genetic diseases and supported a number of important breakthroughs including In 2007 the GDF provided an endowment to support the creation of the Francis Crick Professorship of Human Genetics at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai which was awarded to GDF Medical and Scientific Advisory Board memberDr.