Richard H. Finnell, PhD

Professor, Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine
Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Medicine, and Molecular and Human Genetics

Lecture Title: The Biology of Neural Tube Defects: From Prevention Efforts to Stem Cell Therapeutics

Dr. Richard Finnell holds the William T. Butler, M.D. Distinguished Professor chair at Baylor College of Medicine, where he holds joint appointments in the Center for Precision Environmental Health, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Medicine, and Molecular and Human Genetics. An internationally recognized leader in the study of birth defects, Dr. Finnell’s career has focused on uncovering the genetic and environmental causes of neural tube defects and developing new prevention and treatment strategies.

Trained in medical genetics and embryology, Dr. Finnell completed his Ph.D. at the University of Oregon Medical School and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Zurich. He is certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics and has served as faculty senator at Baylor College of Medicine.

For over four decades, Dr. Finnell has led pioneering work on the role of folate metabolism, mitochondrial one-carbon pathways, and gene-environment interactions in neural tube closure. His laboratory has developed and characterized multiple mouse models—including knockouts of all of the folate transport genes to explore the mechanisms behind both folate-responsive and non-folate-responsive spina bifida. His studies have extended into clinical translation through the development of prenatal diagnostic tests for folate receptor autoantibodies and genomic risk signatures for anticonvulsant-exposed pregnancies.

Dr. Finnell’s research has been supported by continuous NIH funding, including major initiatives on parental mutation rates, epigenetic regulation of folate transport, and interventions for non-folate-responsive NTDs. He has also led global genomic initiatives through partnerships in China, Nicaragua, and with the CDC’s National Birth Defects Prevention Study.

As founder of the Finnell Birth Defects Laboratory, he has championed the use of advanced genomic tools, stem cell modeling, and international sample sharing to understand and reduce the burden of preventable birth defects. His work also includes collaborations in cancer research using folate receptor-targeted therapies.

Dr. Finnell has authored numerous high-impact publications, including landmark studies in Science, Nature Genetics, New England Journal of Medicine and PNAS, and continues to serve as a mentor and collaborator across disciplines. His commitment to translational discovery has helped bridge fundamental developmental biology with practical interventions to improve maternal-fetal health.