Dr. Russell (Chip) Norris, Ph.D. is a tenured professor of medicine in the department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology at MUSC. The Norris lab is a multidisciplinary environment with students and postdocs using various genetic, molecular, biochemical and biomechanical tools to understand common and rare connective tissue diseases. The lab has spent the past 25 years understanding the genetics of various syndromic and non-syndromic cardiovascular diseases such as mitral valve prolapse, aortic valve diseases and cardiomyopathies. Recently, we identified a very strong candidate gene for hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS). Armed with a large hEDS patient registry, four clinical coordinators and one of the largest hEDS research labs, we are exerting a concerted effort towards understanding causes of hEDS and associated co-morbidities. Using state of the art CRISPR-Cas9 mediated genome editing, we generate mouse models of human diseases to study how connective tissue diseases initiate and progress.

Cortney is a fourth year PhD student from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Cortney graduated from West Chester University in 2018 with a bachelor’s in Pharmaceutical Product Development. Cortney is interested in common and rare connective tissue diseases. Her current research is focused on the genetic causes of hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), advancing diagnostic tools to accurately diagnose hEDS and how to target the biological consequences of the disease with therapies. She is also interested in the various comorbidities associated with EDS.