Huda Zoghbi, distinguished service professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, has recently been honored by two universities for her outstanding research contributions. She has received Columbia University’s 2026 Louisa Gross Horowitz Prize and Villanova University’s 2026 Mendel Medal.
The Horowitz Prize is presented annually for groundbreaking work in medical science. Dr. Zoghbi shares this year’s award with the University of Edinburgh’s Adrian Bird. Both awardees were honored for their pioneering work on epigenetic regulation in the nervous system and its role in human neurological disease, particularly Rett syndrome. Although the disease was thought to cause permanent brain damage, Dr. Bird and Dr. Zoghbi’s research has shown that it could be reversible. This has led to ongoing clinical trials and a new generation of gene replacement and RNA-regulating drugs.
“Together, these two scientists have forged a remarkable path from fundamental discovery to therapeutic possibility, exemplifying the highest ideals of biomedical research,” said Laura Landweber, chair of Columbia’s Horwitz Prize committee.
Named for Gregor Mendel, best known as “the father of modern genetics,” the Mendel Medal recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding contemporary scientists. Like the Horowitz Prize, Villanova’s award recognizes Dr. Zoghbi’s groundbreaking work in the genetic causes of neurological conditions, including Rett syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and Parkinson’s disease.
“Villanova University is honored to recognize Dr. Zoghbi with the 2026 Mendel Medal,” said Peter M. Donohue, president of the university. “Her extraordinary career exemplifies the kind of scientific achievement and lasting impact that this award has celebrated for nearly a century. Her discoveries have expanded our knowledge of genetics and brought new hope to patients and families affected by neurological disorders.”
A Baylor College of Medicine faculty member for nearly four decades, Dr. Zoghbi holds faculty appointments in molecular and human genetics, pediatrics, neuroscience, integrative molecular and biomedical sciences, developmental biology, and translational biology and molecular medicine. She also serves as the founding director of the Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Born and raised in Lebanon, Dr. Zogbhi earned her undergraduate degree in biology from the American University of Beirut and began medical school there before ultimately transferring to Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. After receiving her medical degree, she completed residencies in pediatrics and pediatric neurology and a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular genetics at the Baylor College of Medicine.