Baylor recognizes research excellence with DeBakey Awards

The Michael E. DeBakey M.D. Award for Excellence in Research was presented to prestigious Baylor College of Medicine faculty members at a ceremony May 14, recognizing their outstanding published scientific contributions to clinical and basic science research over a three-year period. Recipients in attendance also presented a summary of the scientific research for which they were honored.

The 2026 recipients of the DeBakey Research Awards were Dr. Sean Hartig, Dr. Rama Kommagani, Dr. Ann Leen (not present at the ceremony), Dr. Zhandong Liu and Dr. Sameer Sheth (not present at ceremony).

The awards, named in honor of pioneering heart surgeon Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, the first president of Baylor College of Medicine, and sponsored by the DeBakey Medical Foundation, include a commemorative medallion and funds to support further research.

“Each year, we come together to recognize outstanding members of our faculty whose research – spanning clinical and basic science – has made a significant impact on their fields and the future of medicine,” said Dr. Carolyn Smith, senior vice president and dean of research. “This year’s awardees truly reflect the depth, innovation and excellence that define Baylor’s research mission.”

Sean Hartig, Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine – Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism and of Molecular and Cellular Biology

Hartig studies how fat cells regulate whole body metabolism and drive cardiometabolic disease using molecular, genetic and translational approaches. His research has revealed mechanisms underlying metabolically healthy obesity, including identification of the non coding RNA miR 30a as a protector against insulin resistance, fatty liver disease and fibrosis, enabling therapeutic strategies with FDA approved drugs. His team also discovered a novel endocrine role of adipose tissue via the metabolite N acetylaspartate, influencing body temperature, glucose control and insulin sensitivity. His recent senior author publications in Cell Metabolism, Nature Metabolis, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation highlight the impact and translational relevance of this work. A NIH funded leader, he serves as director of the Cellular and Molecular Metabolism Core and is a committed mentor and educator.

Rama Kommagani, Ph.D.
Roger D. Rossen Endowed Professor of Reproductive Pathology
Professor of Pathology and Immunology and of Molecular Virology and Microbiology
Center for Drug Discovery

Kommagani’s research investigates the molecular and translational mechanisms governing endometrial biology and disease, with a strong focus on endometriosis. His work integrates microbiome science, hormone signaling and stem cell biology to advance noninvasive diagnostics and targeted therapies in women’s health. He established a mechanistic link between the gut microbiome and endometriosis, identifying disease specific bacterial metabolite signatures and demonstrating therapeutic potential of the microbiome derived metabolite 4 hydroxyindole. At the molecular level, his team clarified context dependent functions of GREB1 and uncovered key roles for Beclin 1–mediated autophagy in uterine development and endometrial programming. His recent publications in Nature Communications, Med and Developmental Cell underscore his leadership and impact in reproductive health research.

Ann Lean, Ph.D.
Professor of Pediatrics
Center for Cell and Gene Therapy

Leen is an internationally recognized leader in cellular immunotherapy, focusing on the development and clinical translation of T cell-based therapies for cancer and infectious diseases. Her research bridges discovery and patient care, delivering innovative options for patients with limited treatments. She has led high impact clinical and translational studies demonstrating that multi-antigen-targeted T cell therapies can be safely generated, persist long term and provide durable benefit, including in pancreatic cancer. In parallel, she helped establish global standards for off the shelf, multivirus specific T cell therapies and scalable responses to emerging infections. Her innovations in T cell manufacturing have reduced cost and complexity, broadening clinical access. Her recent publications in Nature Medicine, The Lancet Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research and Blood underscore her sustained contributions.

Zhandong Liu
The Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Endowed Chair
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Principal Investigator, Duncan Neurological Institute
Chief of Data Science, Texas Children’s Hospital

Liu’s research is in computational genomics and biomedical data science, integrating machine learning, systems biology and clinical insight to advance precision medicine. Over the past three years, he has led high impact studies published in Nature, NEJM AI and Bioinformatics Advances, including a landmark cross species proteomic atlas that revealed human specific features of synapse development and informed neurodevelopmental disease research. He is the senior author of AI MARRVEL, a widely adopted AI platform that integrates genomic, clinical, and functional data to improve rare disease diagnosis. Dr. Liu also pioneers responsible clinical AI, including early benchmarking of large language models, while leading enterprise wide computational initiatives at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Sameer Sheth, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Neurosurgery, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Neuroscience
Cullen Foundation Endowed Chair
McNair Scholar
Director, Gordon & Mary Cain Pediatric Neurology Research Foundation Laboratories at Texas Children’s Hospital 

Sheth is a leader in human neurophysiology and therapeutic neuromodulation, integrating intracranial electrophysiology, computational neuroscience and clinical translation to advance precision, circuit guided therapies. Over recent years, he has led high impact studies published in Nature, Cell, Nature Medicine and Neuron that establish new frameworks linking neural activity to complex cognition and neuropsychiatric disease. His work demonstrated that quantitative neural biomarkers can predict outcomes from deep-brain stimulation for OCD and depression, moving neuromodulation toward personalized care. In parallel, he pioneers next generation neural interfaces for studying language and cognition, while co founding Motif Neurotech to develop scalable, minimally invasive therapeutic devices.