Expertise

• Paediatric surgery
• Genetics

Biography

Dr Clara Sze-Man Tang obtained her PhD in statistical genetics from the University of Hong Kong in 2010 and received her postdoctoral training in asthma genetics and bioinformatics at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, previously known as Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR). She joined the Department of Surgery in 2013 and is currently a Research Assistant Professor.

Her research interest is on elucidating the genetic basis of complex diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and congenital disorders, such as Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) and congenital heart diseases. Through genome-wide association and copy number analyses, Dr Tang and colleagues successfully identified novel common and rare genetic variants predisposing to HSCR, blood lipid levels (important risk factors for coronary artery disease) and other congenital disorders. She is currently focusing on identifying family-segregating and/or rare genetic variants with potentially large effects using the next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches.

Research interests

• Genetics and genomics of Hirschsprung disease and other birth defects
• Genetics of cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors