Board certified in pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics, and in clinical and molecular genetics by the American Board of Medical Genetics, Dr. Mark Nunes joined Valley Children’s Genetic Medicine and Metabolism team as medical director in February 2022.
Prior to Valley Children’s, Dr. Nunes was the division chief of genetics at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, partner physician at Southern California Permanente Medical Group and an affiliated professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Dr. Nunes brings a wealth of knowledge with more than two decades of experience in appointed academic roles specializing in pediatrics and genetics at UCSD, Ohio State University, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Maryland and at the University of Washington.
Active in his professional community, Dr. Nunes has consistently served on local, state, national, and international committees focusing on ethics, metabolic bone disease and child abuse for more than 20 years. He has been a member of the American Society of Human Genetics since 1992 and American Academy of Pediatrics since 1989. From focusing on social, legal and ethical issues, to child abuse, neglect, forensic medical response and rapid diagnostic testing, Dr. Nunes’ training, experience and ability to translate new technologies and innovations has been a benefit to the progression and understanding of genetics.
Dr. Nunes’ interests within the field of genetics and genomics is broad, and he has been a thought leader and early adapter in three major revolutions in clinical genetics during the last decade: cell free fetal DNA testing (cfDNA) or non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels to whole exome sequencing (WES) and novel treatments of rare genetic diseases. He has shared his research and experience at various national meetings, presentations and in peer-reviewed journals including Human Genetics, American Journal of Human Genetics and Human Molecular Genetics, as well as in the National Center for Biotechnology Information National Library of Medicine sponsored website, GeneReviews.
Dr. Nunes earned his medical degree from F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland, and completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at the David Grant US Air Force Medical Center. He went on to complete fellowships in clinical genetics, molecular (DNA laboratory) genetics and teratology at the University of Washington, and in child protection and forensic pediatrics at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children in Virginia.