ST LOUIS, MO -– Appistry, Inc., a leading provider of tools, software, and services that bring the power of genomics to next-generation medicine, today announced that Cornelius (Neal) Boerkoel, M.D., Ph.D., has joined Appistry’s management team as the company’s first chief medical officer. A former laboratory director at the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program and co-founder of the Rare Disease Foundation, Boerkoel brings more than 30 years of research and clinical expertise to Appistry, where he will actively participate in developing the company’s long-term corporate and product strategy while building relationships with scientific partners and customers.

“Neal’s real-world experience as a genomics researcher and a practicing physician complements our efforts to deliver solutions that make genomics actionable across the continuum from the laboratory to the physician’s office,” said Kevin Haar, CEO of Appistry. “His practical experience working with genomics data in healthcare will not only lead to better, more usable solutions for researchers and clinicians, but also make him a valuable partner to our customers, whether they are researching disease causes and cures or seeking to provide genomically enhanced medicine to their patients.”

“Appistry’s vision for genomics is simple and compelling: Give scientists and clinicians an ‘easy button’ that removes the distractions of moving, managing, storing, and manipulating genomics data so that they can focus on doing something useful with it,” said Neal Boerkoel. “I’m eager to work with my colleagues to create solutions that make genomics more relevant and useful in the study and treatment of human disease.”

Boerkoel received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University and trained in pediatrics at the University of Washington and in clinical genetics at the University of Toronto. He entered clinical practice in genetics and completed postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine before joining the faculty of the University of British Columbia in 2006. His translational research has focused on rare diseases, and in addition to co-founding the Rare Disease Foundation, he most recently served as a staff clinician and directed the translational laboratory at the National Institutes of Health Undiagnosed Diseases Program. Neal will retain his appointments at the Children’s and Women’s Medical Centre of British Columbia and the University of British Columbia, where he is a clinical associate professor and clinical investigator in the Provincial Medical Genetics Program and Child and Family Research Institute.