Molecular and Human Genetics

For questions call: 1.800.411.GENE (4363).
For more information, visit the Molecular and Human Genetics website: http://www.imgen.bcm.tmc.edu/molgen

The department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine is one of the leading genetic departments in the world, offering unparalleled clinical treatment and counseling and a full range of diagnostic genetic testing through our Medical Genetic Laboratories.

The largest clinical genetic program in the country, we offer a single resource for all genetic services and testing, thanks to our affiliations with other medical departments and hospitals within the world-renowned Texas Medical Center.

Here, you'll find some of the most respected and highly trained geneticists in the field. Our physicians are experts in their individual areas of interest and renowned for research discoveries that yield the latest information on genetic diseases and their causes, and state-of-the-art testing methodologies.

Our large clinical faculty ensures timely, expert assistance for each patient. Patients also benefit from a collaborative approach to treatment that draws not only on the expertise of other physicians within our own department, but also from Baylor College of Medicine physicians in other specialties, providing outside expertise without the need to schedule additional appointments.

Collectively, our goal is to improve the lives of our patients by providing valuable information from which they can make the best possible decisions. Our patient friendly approach emphasizes minimal wait times and paper work, timely new patient visits, and expanded office hours to accommodate a growing demand for our services.

The department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine is ranked first among medical school genetics departments in the total amount of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and total number of grants awarded.

Our Services

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We provide clinical treatment, counseling and a full range of diagnostic genetic testing for both adult and pediatric patients. We offer patient care through the following locations:

Adult Genetics Clinic

Baylor Clinic
6620 Main St.
12th Floor, Suite 1225
Houston, Texas 77030
Appointments: 832.822.4293
Hours: Monday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
http://imgen.bcm.tmc.edu/molgen/cg/clinics/adultgenetics.html

Physicians:
John W. Belmont MD, PhD
Maria Blazo, MD
Chester Brown, MD, PhD
William J. Craigen, MD, PhD
V. Reid Sutton, MD
Hagith Yonath, MD

Adult Cancer Genetics Clinic

Baylor Clinic
6620 Main St.
12th Floor, Suite 1225
Houston, Texas 77030
Appointments: 832.822.4293
Hours: Friday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
http://imgen.bcm.tmc.edu/molgen/cg/clinics/cancergenetics.html

Physicians:
Rebecca Johnson, MD
Sharon Plon, MD, PhD

Metabolic Clinic

Clinical Care Center, Texas Children's Hospital
6701 Fannin St., 16th Floor
Houston, Texas 77030
Appointments: 832.822.4294
Hours: Wednesday 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
http://imgen.bcm.tmc.edu/molgen/cg/clinics/metabolic.html

Physicians:
William J. Craigen, MD, PhD
Brett Graham, MD, PhD
Brendan Lee, MD, PhD
Fernando Scaglia, MD
Marwan Shinawi, MD
V. Reid Sutton, MD

Neurofibromatosis Clinic

Clinical Care Center, Texas Children's Hospital
6701 Fannin St., 16th Floor
Houston, Texas 77030
Appointments: 832.822.4280
Hours: 1st Friday of the month, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
http://www.texaschildrenshospital.org

Physicians:
Maria Blazo, MD
Christine M. Eng, MD
Sharon Plon, MD, PhD

Pediatric Genetics Clinic

Clinical Care Center, Texas Children's Hospital
6701 Fannin St., 16th Floor
Houston, Texas 77030
Appointments: 832.822.4293
Hours: Monday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Thursday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
http://www.texaschildrenshospital.org

Physicians:
Carlos A. Bacino, MD, F.A.C.M.G.
Arthur L. Beaudet, MD
John W. Belmont MD, PhD
Chester Brown, MD, PhD
William J. Craigen, MD, PhD
Christine M. Eng, MD
Brett Graham, MD, PhD
Seema Lalani, MD
Brendan Lee, MD, PhD
James R. Lupski, MD, PhD
Lorraine Potocki, MD, FACMG
Fernando Scaglia, MD
Daryl Scott, MD, PhD
Joseph Shen, MD
Marwan Shinawi, MD
V. Reid Sutton, MD

Skeletal Dysplasia Clinic

Clinical Care Center, Texas Children's Hospital
6701 Fannin St., 16th Floor
Houston, Texas 77030
Appointments: 832.822.4298
Hours: 2nd Friday of the month, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
http://www.texaschildrenshospital.org

Physicians:
Carlos A. Bacino, MD, F.A.C.M.G.
Brendan Lee, MD, PhD
V. Reid Sutton, MD

Our Physicians

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Arthur L. Beaudet, MD, is chair of the department of Molecular and Human Genetics and professor in the departments of Molecular and Human Genetics, Pediatrics, and Molecular and Cellular Biology. He is board certified in both pediatrics and medical genetics. Dr. Beaudet earned his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine, followed by a residency in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, and a fellowship in genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. He also completed postdoctoral studies at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). His areas of interest include genetic diagnosis, counseling and treatment with an emphasis on metabolic disorders, cystic fibrosis, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome and gene therapy.

Carlos A. Bacino, MD, F.A.C.M.G., is associate professor of Molecular and Human Genetics, director of Kleberg Genetics Clinic and medical director of the Kleberg Cytogenetics Laboratory. Dr. Bacino is certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics and the American Board of Pediatrics. His primary areas of focus include birth defects, chromosomal abnormalities, skeletal dysplasias, congenital heart diseases and Angelman/Prader Willi Syndrome. Dr. Bacino earned his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, followed by a fellowship in clinical genetics and cytogenetics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles.

John W. Belmont MD, PhD, is a professor for the departments of Molecular and Human Genetics, Immunology, and Pediatrics and co-director of the Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic. He is board certified in clinical genetics, clinical biochemical genetics and pediatrics. Dr. Belmont specializes in inborn errors of metabolism and cardiovascular genetics. He earned his medical degree and PhD from Baylor College of Medicine, followed by a residency in pediatrics at Children's Hospital, National Medical Center, Washington, D.C. He then returned to Baylor College of Medicine for fellowship studies in medical genetics.

Maria A. Blazo, MD, assistant professor of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, is board certified in clinical genetics and family medicine. Her clinical focus is in cancer prevention, genetics and health promotion for the entire family. Dr. Blazo earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She completed her residency at Memorial Medical Center in Corpus Christi, TX, followed by a medical genetics fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine.

Chester Brown, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Molecular and Human Genetics, is board certified in medical genetics and pediatrics. His clinical focus is on birth defects, endocrinopathies and disorders of growth. Dr. Brown completed his medical degree and graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio, followed by residency training in pediatrics and fellowship training in genetics at Baylor College of Medicine.

William J. Craigen, MD, PhD, is associate professor for the department of Molecular and Human Genetics, assistant professor for the department of Pediatrics, director of the Metabolic Clinic and medical director of the Mitochondrial Diagnostic Laboratory. Dr. Craigen earned his medical and graduate degrees at Baylor College of Medicine, where he continued on for a residency in pediatrics and fellowship training in medical genetics. He is board certified in clinical genetics and clinical biochemical genetics. His clinical interests are genetic disorders and metabolic disorders.

Christine M. Eng, MD, associate professor of Molecular and Human Genetics, is medical director of the DNA Diagnostic Laboratory and director of the Storage Disorders Clinic. She is board certified in clinical molecular genetics and pediatrics. Following undergraduate studies at Yale University, Dr. Eng earned her medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans. She completed residency training in pediatrics at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY, followed by fellowship training in medical genetics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Her clinical interests are neurofibromatosis and molecular genetics.

Brett Graham, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Molecular and Human Genetics, specializes in metabolic diseases and inherited disorders. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. Dr. Graham earned his medical degree and his PhD from Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta. He completed an internship, a residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in molecular genetics at Baylor College of Medicine.

Rebecca Johnson, MD, instructor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, specializes in cancer, oncology and genetics. She is board certified in internal medicine, pediatrics and clinical genetics. Dr. Johnson earned her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia . She completed a residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey, followed by fellowship training in clinical genetics and pediatric hematology/oncology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Seema Lalani, MD, assistant professor of Molecular and Human Genetics, specializes in medical genetics, with clinical interests that include inherited diseases and birth defects. She is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. Dr. Lalani earned her medical degree from The Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. She completed a residency in pediatrics at Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania, followed by a genetics fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine.

Brendan Lee, MD, PhD, associate professor of Molecular and Human Genetics, is director of the Skeletal Dysplasia Clinic and an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is board certified in clinical genetics, clinical biochemical genetics and pediatrics. Dr. Lee completed his PhD and his medical degree at State University of New York Health Science Center in Brooklyn, NY. He completed his residency in pediatrics and fellowship training in genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. He also served as a postdoctoral fellow at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in N.Y. Dr. Lee's clinical interests include skeletal dysplasias, inborn errors of metabolism, and urea cycle disorders.

James R. Lupski, MD, PhD, is professor of the departments of Molecular and Human Genetics and Pediatrics, vice chair of the department of Molecular and Human Genetics and director of the Medical Scientist Training Program at Baylor College of Medicine. He is board certified both in clinical molecular genetics and pediatrics. His clinical focus is on molecular mechanisms for disease, using human genetic approaches to investigate clinical phenotypes. Dr. Lupski earned his PhD and medical degree from New York University. He completed residency training in pediatrics and fellowship training in medical genetics at Baylor College of Medicine.

Sharon E. Plon MD, PhD, is associate professor of Pediatrics and Molecular and Human Genetics. Dr. Plon is board certified in clinical genetics. She specializes in hematology-oncology. Dr. Plon earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston. She completed a fellowship in molecular genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD, and fellowship training in medical genetics at the University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, Seattle. Her clinical focus is on cancer genetic susceptibility syndromes and Rothmund-Thomson Syndrome, including retinoblastoma, polyposis syndrome, and neurofibromatosis.

Lorraine Potocki, MD, FACMG., is associate professor for the department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. She also serves as director of the Ben Taub Genetics Clinic. Dr. Potocki's primary areas of interest are developmental disorders and congenital anomalies. She is board certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners, the American Board of Medical Genetics (Clinical Genetics), and the American Board of Pathology (Clinical Pathology). Dr. Potocki earned her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine. She completed a residency in surgery at Brown University in Providence, RI, and a residency in pathology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, Mass. She completed a fellowship in fetal and perinatal pathology at Brown University and a fellowship in medical genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Potocki is a fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics (FACMG).

Fernando Scaglia, MD, assistant professor of Molecular and Human Genetics, is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Genetics. His primary focus is inherited metabolic disorders. Dr. Scaglia completed his medical degree at the University of La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. His internship and residency in pediatrics and his fellowship in medical genetics were all completed at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Daryl A. Scott, MD, PhD, is assistant professor for the department of Molecular and Human Genetics. Dr. Scott specializes in pediatrics, with clinical interests that include the study of structural birth defects, including diaphragmatic hernias and tracheal/esophageal anomalies, and structural eye defects. He is board certified in pediatrics and genetics. Dr. Scott earned his medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in Iowa City. He earned his PhD in genetics at the University of Iowa, with special interest in hearing loss. He completed an internship and a residency in pediatrics at the University of Utah Affiliated Hospitals in Salt Lake City.

Joseph Shen, MD, assistant professor of Molecular and Human Genetics, specializes in pediatrics. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. Dr. Shen earned his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio. He completed a residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in genetics at Baylor College of Medicine.

Marwan Shinawi, MD, is assistant professor for the department of Molecular and Human Genetics. He specializes in medical genetics and is board certified in clinical genetics. Dr. Shinawi earned his medical degree from Technion Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel. He completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at Rambam Medical Center, also in Haifa, followed by fellowship training in molecular genetics at Baylor College of Medicine.

V. Reid Sutton, MD, assistant professor of Molecular and Human Genetics, also serves as director of the Medical Genetics Residency Program at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Sutton is certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics (Clinical Genetics) and by the American Board of Pediatrics. He earned his medical degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington, followed by a residency in pediatrics at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. He underwent fellowship training in genetics at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Sutton's interests include skeletal dysplasias, inborn errors of metabolism, and uniparental disomy for chromosome 14.

Hagith Yonath, MD, is assistant professor for the department of Molecular and Human Genetics. She specializes in medical genetics and is board certified in clinical genetics. Dr. Yonath earned her medical degree from Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University, Jerusalem. She completed a residency and served as an attending physician in internal medicine at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel. She received her genetics training at Baylor College of Medicine.

For More Information

Visit the Molecular and Human Genetics website: http://www.imgen.bcm.tmc.edu/molgen

My nurse was very nice and a great comfort during a difficult time. I appreciated her words of encouragement and her genuine concern for me. All of the office staff was helpful and treated patients with respect. How wonderful the health care industry would be if everyone was like your staff - especially during a very dark hour of my life.