Cynthia Casson Morton (born August 1, 1955) is an American geneticist, professor at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

, and director of cytogenetics at

Brigham and Women's Hospital Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH or The Brigham) is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the largest hospital in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two ...

Biography

Morton graduated in 1973 from Maryland's

Easton High School Easton High School (EHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Easton, Talbot County, Maryland, United States. It is one of two public high schools in Talbot County along with St. Michaels Middle/High School. Overview The school ...

and in 1977 from the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest instit ...

with a bachelor's degree in biology. In 1982 she received her Ph.D. in human genetics from the

Medical College of Virginia The VCU Medical Center (VCU Health), formerly known as the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), is the medical campus of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, United States. As MCV, VCU Medical Center merged ...

. As a postdoc she worked at Children's Hospital of Boston and then for three-and-a-half years in

Philip Leder Philip Leder (November 19, 1934 – February 2, 2020) was an American geneticist. Early life and education Leder was born in Washington, D.C., and studied at Harvard University, graduating in 1956. In 1960, he graduated from Harvard Medical Sch ...

's laboratory in Harvard Medical School's department of genetics. In 1987, the eminent pathologist Ramzi Cotran recruited her to become the Director of Cytogenetics at Brigham and Women's Hospital. At Harvard Medical School she is now the William Lambert Richardson Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine as well as a professor of pathology. At Brigham and Women's Hospital she also holds the Keneth J. Ryan, M.D., Distinguished Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is an adjunct professor at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

. (with online links to publications) She has done research on "

molecular cytogenetics Molecular cytogenetics combines two disciplines, molecular biology and cytogenetics, and involves the analysis of chromosome structure to help distinguish normal and cancer-causing cells. Human cytogenetics began in 1956 when it was discovered tha ...

, hereditary deafness, genetics of

uterine leiomyomata Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomas, fibromyoma or fibroids, are benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus, part of the female reproductive system. Most people with fibroids have no symptoms while others may have painful or h ...

and human

developmental disorder Developmental disorders comprise a group of psychiatric conditions originating in childhood that involve serious impairment in different areas. There are several ways of using this term. The most narrow concept is used in the category "Specific D ...

s." The research done by her and her co-workers lead to the "identification of the first gene implicated in

uterine fibroid Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomas, fibromyoma or fibroids, are benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus, part of the female reproductive system. Most people with fibroids have no symptoms while others may have painful or h ...

HMGA2 High-mobility group AT-hook 2, also known as HMGA2, is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the ''HMGA2'' gene. Function This gene encodes a protein that belongs to the non-histone chromosomal high-mobility group (HMG) protein family. HMG p ...

." Morton founded the Developmental Genome Anatomy Project (DGAP), which searches for molecular causes of developmental disabilities. Morton is the author or co-author of over 300 articles in academic journals. For six years (from 2005 to 2011) she was editor-in-chief of the ''

American Journal of Human Genetics The ''American Journal of Human Genetics'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal in the field of human genetics. It was established in 1948 by the American Society of Human Genetics and covers all aspects of heredity in humans, including ...

''. She is married and has a daughter.

Awards and honors

* 1997 — Warner-Lamber/Parke-David Award of the American Society for Experimental Pathology * 2014 — President of the

American Society of Human Genetics The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), founded in 1948, is a professional membership organization for specialists in human genetics. As of 2009, the organization had approximately 8,000 members. The society's members include researchers, ...

* 2015 — Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

References

External links

The Developmental Genome Anatomy Project (DGAP)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Cynthia C. American geneticists American women biologists College of William & Mary alumni Medical College of Virginia alumni Harvard Medical School faculty People from Easton, Maryland 1955 births Living people American Journal of Human Genetics editors