Donahoe to speak on genetic causes of birth defects
Patricia Donahoe, M.D., internationally known for her research on the molecular mechanisms of birth defects, will deliver the next Discovery Lecture on Nov. 5.
Donahoe is the Marshall K. Bartlett Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and director of the Pediatric Surgical Research Laboratories at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Her lecture, sponsored by the Department of Pediatrics, is entitled “Pinpointing the Genetic Causes of Birth Defects.” It will begin at 4 p.m. in 208 Light Hall.
Donahoe was the first woman to be named a full professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. A member of the Institute of Medicine, she has published more than 230 peer-reviewed publications in developmental biology.
She and her colleagues helped determine the role of a signaling protein called Mullerian Inhibiting Substance (MIS) in sex differentiation in the fetus, and they are investigating it as a potential anti-cancer agent to treat ovarian and other reproductive tumors.
For a complete schedule of the Discovery Lecture series and archived video of previous lectures, go to http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/discoveryseries.