Dr. Marylyn Ritchie is Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Director, Center for Systems Genomics at the Pennsylvania State University.  Dr. Ritchie is also Director of the new Biomedical and Translational Informatics at Geisinger Clinic.  Dr. Ritchie’s research interests as a statistical geneticist include the development and application of novel statistical and computational methods to identify genetic variants associated with human diseases.  Dr. Ritchie’s lab places a special emphasis on the development of methods to detect gene-gene interactions, gene-environment interactions, and network/pathway effects associated with disease.  Dr. Ritchie has extensive experience in Big Data science and the use of electronic health records in genomic research.  Dr. Ritchie has been the electronic MEdical Records & GEnomics (eMERGE) Coordinating Center genomics lead for the past eight years.  Dr. Ritchie’s other accomplishments include being named Genome Technology’s “Rising Young Investigator” (2006), a Sloan Research Fellow (2010), and a Kavli Frontiers in Sciences fellow by the National Academy of Science (2011-2014).  Dr. Ritchie was most recently named Thomas Reuters Most Highly Cited Researchers in 2014.