Huda Y. Zoghbi

Professor of Pediatrics, Neurology, Neuroscience, and Molecular and Human Genetics · Baylor College of Medicine · company speakers →

Huda Y. Zoghbi, M.D., is Professor of Pediatrics, Neurology, Neuroscience, and Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital. Zoghbi was born in Beirut Lebanon where she earned a B.S. from the American University of Beirut. She completed her M.D. at Meharry Medical College, and joined Baylor College of Medicine for training in Pediatrics, Neurology, and Molecular Genetics. Zoghbi’s clinical encounters with young girls with Rett syndrome inspired her to go into basic research. Her laboratory ultimately discovered the genetic cause of Rett syndrome and provided insight into the function of the gene in various neurons. Her discovery (with Harry Orr) that Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 1 is caused by expansion of a polyglutamine tract and her studies that such expansion leads to accumulation of the mutant protein has infomed studies of other neurodegenerative disorders. Zoghbi also discovered Math1/Atoh1 and showed that it governs the development of several components of the proprioceptive, balance, hearing, vestibular, and breathing pathways. Zoghbi has trained over 90 scientists and physician-scientists who have gone on to successful careers. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Among Zoghbi’s recent honors are the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the Canada Gairdner International Award, and the 2020 Brain prize.

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