Current Positions

PI of ENRRICH and CHRIM
Professor, Dept Biochemistry & Medical Genetics, RFHS, UM

Education

1985 B.Sc., Biochemistry, (Microbiology and Chemistry double major), University of Manitoba.
1991 Ph.D., Physiology, "The p53 Tumor Suppressor Gene: Function of Wild-type Inactivation in Tumor Suppression." Advisor: Dr. Michael Mowat. University of Manitoba.
1991-1992 Postdoctoral Fellow, with Dr. H. Earl Ruley, Center for Cancer Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA.
1993-1996 Postdoctoral Fellow, with Dr. H. Earl Ruley, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University
School of Medicine, Nashville, TN.

Research Focus

Hicks is co-founder of the Canada Israel International FASD Consortium (CIIFAC) and a PI of the Kid’s Brain Health Network NCE. His most recent work developed a novel mouse model of FASD that identifies Vitamin A as a potential preventative treatment for FASD. Genetic and epigenetic studies in animal models and human FASD cohorts are identifying biomarker signatures that can be used for early diagnosis of FASD, particularly for enabling early intervention of children at high-risk of developing FASD.

Research Interests

Genetic modeling of human disease and high throughput functional genomics, Rare pediatric genetic diseases
and neurodevelopmental disorders, Early prevention and diagnosis of FASD.