Dorene Markel

BIO

Senior Advisor, Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative

Ms. Markel has been the Senior Advisor to the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative since July 2024 after serving as the founding Managing Director for the previous two years. As the Managing Director, she worked with Dr. Levine and the leadership team to create the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative and launch its platform programs.

Ms. Markel brings extensive experience to her roles from four decades of leadership service at the University of Michigan (UM), with specialized expertise in creating and managing clinical research and diabetes initiatives. Her past achievements include: working with Dr. Francis Collins to create the NIH-funded UM Human Genome Center and serving as the Center’s Human Studies Core Director; serving as the Administrative Director of the NIH-funded UM General Clinical Research Center; as founding Administrative Director of the Center for the Advancement of Clinical Research; as founding Administrative Director of the NIH-funded Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research; and as the first Director for Clinical and Translational Research for the UM Medical School. She was the founding Director of the Brehm Center for Diabetes Research and manager of the Brehm Coalition; founding Managing Director of M-Diabetes; and founding Managing Director of the Elizabeth Weiser Caswell Diabetes Institute. Ms. Markel retired from UM in 2022 and retains an active emeritus faculty position in the UM Department of Learning Health Sciences. She has extensive experience in ethical and regulatory issues in human research having served on the Michigan Medicine and Castle IRBs. Ms. Markel received her B.S. from Michigan Technological University in Biological Sciences; her M.S. from the University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Human Genetics, specializing in Genetic Counseling; and her M.H.S.A (Health Services Administration) degree from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Health Management and Policy.

Diabetes Complications
Diabetic Retinal Disease
Ethical issues in human genetic research