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Pankhuri Gupta awarded for genetic research
She was recognized for research identifying gaps in the reporting and reclassification of genetic variants in clinical care.
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 02, Mar 2026
- 13:19 EST
- 19
Pankhuri Gupta / LinkedIn/Pankhuri Gupta
Indian American researcher Pankhuri Gupta received the 2026 Richard King Award for Best Publication by a Trainee in Genetics in Medicine, recognizing her research on gaps in reporting and reclassifying genetic variants.
The award was instituted by the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine to encourage trainees certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG), international equivalents, or genetic counseling programs to publish high-quality research in Genetics in Medicine (GIM), the official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.
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Gupta was honored for her article, “Imprecision medicine: Systematic gaps in reporting variants of uncertain significance (VUS) and their reclassifications,” published online in September 2025.
Conducted in Andrew Stergachis’s laboratory, the study examined variant reclassification workflows and found that at least 1.6 percent of variant classifications used in electronic health records for clinical care were outdated based on current ClinVar classifications.
Gupta is a research genetic counselor in the department of medicine at the University of Washington. Her work focuses on variant interpretation, long-read sequencing and translational genomic medicine.
In her current role, she leads efforts to reclassify variants of uncertain significance within the Brotman Baty Institute Clinical Variant Database, which includes clinical genetic data from more than 8,000 patients.
She also curates functional datasets, develops training modules on functional evidence and has organized national and international workshops on applying functional data in variant interpretation. Gupta serves on the advisory board of the University of Washington Genetic Counseling Graduate Program.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Richard King Award. I am especially grateful to Dr. Andrew Stergachis, and to the entire research team whose guidance and collaboration made this work possible. Uncertainty in genomic medicine can be challenging for patients, and it is deeply motivating to see work centered on patient impact and transparency recognized in this way,” Gupta said.
“The Genetics in Medicine team is delighted to present this year’s Richard King Award to Pankhuri Gupta. The journal received many outstanding papers from trainees this year, and the submission by Pankhuri was selected on its merits,” said Robert D. Steiner, editor-in-chief of genetics in Medicine.
The award is named in honor of Richard King for his role in founding Genetics in Medicine and serving as the journal’s first editor-in-chief.
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