BCM Department of Molecular and Human Genetics

01/15/2026

Join us Wed Jan. 21 @ 12 p.m. CST for the next Genetics Education Webinar: Fragile X & Autism‑Associated Genetic Conditions with Dr. Holly Harris and Laura Buckner, M.Ed., LPC, Program Manager, Texas Center for Disability Studies at The University of Texas at Austin

This webinar explores Fragile X Syndrome and other autism-associated genetic conditions, highlighting key clinical features, diagnostic distinctions, and emerging therapeutic approaches. Participants will also gain practical, strengths-based communication and sensory strategies to better support individuals.

Register: https://bit.ly/3Y7JRft

This webinar series is presented by Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas Center for Disability Studies, Texas Children's Hospital and the Department of State Health Services.

01/15/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Susan Rosenberg who has received the 2025 Hill Prize in Biological Sciences from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science, & Technology "for her groundbreaking strategy to combat antibiotic resistance by targeting the evolutionary process itself"! https://tamest.org/news/2026-hill-prizes-announced/

01/13/2026

Welcome to Day 1 of the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine 2026 Annual Scientific Retreat. Thanks again to our sponsors for making this possible!
Novogene America
Illumina, Inc.
Vazyme

01/08/2026

Throwback Thursday! This January marks 15 years since the Hui Zheng lab’s video "Bad Project" rocked the biomedical education world. First shown at the 2011 Department of Molecular and Human Genetics annual retreat, it later made Forbes’ Top 10 Science Parody Music Videos in 2020 & has 4.9M views.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl4L4M8m4d0

Speaking of retreats—next week our department celebrates its 29th annual retreat in Galveston, TX! Huge thanks to our sponsors for making it possible:
Novogene America
Illumina, Inc.
Vazyme
Watchmaker Genomics
Ultima Genomics

01/06/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Zian Liao of the Matzuk lab on your successful dissertation! Zian’s dissertation was “Elucidating the Mechanisms of Female Infertility: From Preclinical Insights to Therapies Targeting Endometriosis.” 🥳

12/23/2025

From the the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics team to yours, wishing you Happy Holidays and a 2026 filled with new opportunities, continued collaboration, and shared success. Thank you for being part of our journey this year!

12/22/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Richard Gibbs, Dr. Fritz Sedlazeck and Dr. James Versalovic for being named among the most cited researchers in the world!

Fifty-one scientists and professors from Houston-area universities and institutions were named among the most cited in the world for their research in medicine, materials sciences and an array of other fields.

12/12/2025

Congratulations to last week's Baylor College of Medicine Graduate School of Biomedical Science Awards Recipients:
Best Course in Genetics & Genomics went to Method & Logic in Genetics & Genomics (Course Directors: Drs Ross Poche & Shinya Yamamoto)
Best Course in Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics went to "Evolutional Conservation of Developmental Mechanisms" (Course Directors: Drs. Ben Arenkiel and Blair Benham-Pyle)
Dr. Jason Heaney was named the Outstanding Lecturer in Genetics & Genomics and Melanie Mew was recognized as the Outstanding Teaching Assistant in Genetics & Genomics
Best Course in Quantitative & Computational Biosciences went to "Computational Project Design & Grant Writing" (Course Director: Dr. Chad Shaw). Dr. Shaw also was named the Outstanding Lecturer for the program alongside Dr. Gloria Echeverria.
Dr. Herman Dierick was named the Outstanding Lecturer for the MS in Biomedical Sciences Program
Genetics & Genomics Students: Daniel Brock, Jasmine Brown, Zachary Castles, Yifan Chen, Adamantia Koulouri, Harita Mani, Soraya Nevin, Chloe Sands, Aanya Subramaniam, Katrine Taran, & Kancheng Yin were all named John J. Trentin Scholarship Award Winners.
Congratulations everyone!

12/11/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Pengfei Liu on his 2026 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Medicine from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology (TAMEST)! Read the award announcement and watch the video spotlight on Dr. Liu:

2026 O'Donnell Awards recipients are recognized for research contributions in medicine, engineering, science and technology innovation.

12/04/2025

Shout out to Dr. Nikhita Gogate of the Posey & Gibbs labs. Congratulations on your successful dissertation! Nikhita’s dissertation was “Deciphering Rare Diseases: Genomic and Phenotypic Complexities.” 🥳

12/01/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Andy Rivera-Munoz of the Posey lab on your successful dissertation! Andy’s dissertation was “Advancing Rare-Disease Genomics for Diagnosing Developmental Disorders.” 🥳

11/18/2025

Congratulations to the Center for Precision Medicine Models Team at Baylor College of Medicine on receiving a 5 year $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue its work using precision models to study !

Baylor College of Medicine’s Center for Precision Medicine Models has received a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health...