Huda Y. Zoghbi, M.D.
Career Highlights

Born June 20, 1954, in Beirut, Lebanon

EDUCATION

Undergraduate degree: B.Sc., Biology, American University of Beirut, 1975
Graduate degree: M.D., American University of Beirut and Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, 1979

Tennessee refugee: Zoghbi transferred to Meharry after her first year of medical school to escape the war in Lebanon.

Comfort food: Zoghbi at first found it hard to adjust to life so far from home. She remembers when she finally discovered a store in Nashville that sold yogurt. “It was the highlight of my year.”

POSTGRADUATE TRAINING

1979–1982: Pediatric resident, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
1982–1985: Resident in Neurology and Pediatric Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine
1985–1988: Postdoctoral fellow in Department of Pediatrics and Institute of Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine

KEY APPOINTMENTS

1988: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Institute for Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
1991: Associate Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular and Human Genetics and Division of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine
1994: Professor, Departments of Pediatrics, Molecular and Human Genetics, and Neurology, Programs in Cell and Molecular Biology and Developmental Biology, and Division of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine
1996: HHMI Investigator, Baylor College of Medicine

Damage control: In 2001, Tropical Storm Allison descended on Houston, dropping almost three feet of rain over the medical center. The basements flooded, and Zoghbi and her colleagues lost half of their mice and many invaluable cell lines. “We tried to save as much as we could,” she says, “but it was a huge loss.” Lab work ground to a halt for more than a week as Zoghbi and her team combed the city for dry ice to keep the cell cultures alive and took shifts rescuing as many mice as they could. Some projects were delayed for months while the group labored to rebuild the mouse colonies. “It took creativity,” she says, “but it worked out in the end. People caught up and everything we were working on got published."

SELECTED HONORS, AWARDS, AND FELLOWSHIPS

Member, Institute of Medicine
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Kilby Award for Extraordinary Contributions to Society through Science, Technology, Innovation, Invention, and Education
E. Mead Johnson Award, Society of Pediatric Research
Sidney Carter Award, American Academy of Neurology
Soriano Award, American Neurological Association
Decade of the Brain Award, American Academy of Neurology
Commencement speaker, Baylor College of Medicine

Head of the class: Zoghbi is the youngest faculty member—and the first woman—from the Baylor College of Medicine to be elected to the Institute of Medicine.

Get a life: In her 2001 commencement address, Zoghbi encouraged the graduating doctors and scientists to cultivate extracurricular activities. “You need to have a life outside the clinic or the lab,” she says. “Enjoy literature, sports, music, the arts, or whatever helps you unwind and refresh. Although such activities are far removed from your daily work, you will be surprised how engaging your mind in different ways will enhance your creativity and productivity.”

SELECTED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Editorial Board, Science
Editorial Board, Neuron
Editorial Board, Human Molecular Genetics
National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council, National Institutes of Health
Scientific Advisory Committee, International Rett Syndrome Association
Medical and Research Advisory Board, National Ataxia Foundation
Scientific Advisory Board, McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience
Board of Scientific Advisors, Merck Institute

PUBLICATIONS

More than 140 original research articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Nature, Science, Cell, Nature Genetics, Neuron, Genomics, Journal of Neuroscience, Human Molecular Genetics, and American Journal of Human Genetics. Reviews in numerous publications. Guest editor for a special issue on Rett syndrome and related disorders in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews.

OUTSIDE THE LAB

Chef Zoghbi: Twice a year, Zoghbi prepares a Lebanese feast for her lab, and every Sunday she tries out a new recipe on her family. “I love to cook,” she says. “When I’m doing it, I’m totally absorbed. I put on music and I’m oblivious to everything else.” For the family dinners, she likes to keep things simple and seasonal. “Tomatoes are great in summer. Tomatoes and fresh basil. My husband gardens, and I get fresh herbs.”

Going home: The Zoghbis return to Beirut every year to visit with family, hike in the mountains, and relax. “It’s a beautiful city—the Paris of the Middle East,” says Zoghbi. “It’s an intellectual center, with arts and theater, and the country is beautiful, with the sea and the mountain tops. You can swim in the morning and then drive 40 minutes and go skiing.”

To do: “I’m a list person,” says Zoghbi. Her lists include, in order of importance, daily chores such as meeting with lab members and editing and reviewing papers, as well as longer-term goals. “I like to take life five years at a time,” she says. “Initially, my long-term goal was to raise decent humans.” With her son Anthony in high school and her daughter Roula off to college, Zoghbi’s next five-year objective is to “continue to do science.”

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