February 1, 2018

Congenital heart disease expert Gelb set for Discovery Lecture

Bruce Gelb, MD, an expert on congenital heart defects, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 8.

Bruce Gelb, MD, an expert on congenital heart defects, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 8.

Bruce Gelb, MD

His lecture, “The Genetics of Congenital Heart Disease: Murmurs and Hiss Tones,” will begin at 4 p.m. in 208 Light Hall. It is sponsored by the Department of Pediatrics.

Gelb is the Gogel Family Professor and director of the Mindich Child Health and Development Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is also professor of Pediatrics and Genetics and Genomic Sciences.

Gelb and his colleagues have used genetic and genomic approaches to explore what causes congenital heart disease and heart malformations. They have particular expertise in Noonan syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes altered facial characteristics, congenital heart defects and developmental delays. The team generates stem cells from cultured skin cells to study Noonan syndrome and other developmental disorders and to discover novel ways to treat these disorders.

Gelb has received the E. Mead Johnson Award from the Society for Pediatric Research and the Norman J. Siegel New Member Outstanding Science Award from the American Pediatric Society. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

For a complete schedule of the Flexner Discovery Lecture series and archived video of previous lectures, go to www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/discoveryseries.