Titles
Professor of Neonatology and Genetics
Professor of Biological Sciences, Dentistry, and
Epidemiology in the College of Public Health

Education
BS – Massachusetts Institute of Technology; 1972
MD – Tufts University; 1978

Postgraduate Training
Residency – New England Medical Center Hospital
Medical Genetics Fellowship – University of Washington
NIH Fellowship Research – University of Washington

Clinical Interests
Complications of high-risk newborns, particularly as they relate to birth defects and premature infants

Research Interests

Advances in genetics, epidemiology, quantitative analysis and developmental biology have made it possible to identify genes involved in traits important in pediatric disorders. Our laboratory applies tools from a variety of disciplines, particularly those of genetics, genomics and epidemiology to study birth defects and prematurity. Our studies of premature birth are in collaboration with other members of the neonatology division, particularly John Dagle and also with collaborators in other neonatology divisions in the United States, Denmark and South America. We are interested in identifying the genetic and environmental predisposing factors to prematurity and its complications. We are carrying out a wide range of clinical and laboratory based studies to investigate this. We use a combination of epidemiology, molecular genetics, population based studies, and genomics to address this issue.

Other projects include strategies to identify and characterize genes involved in several inherited human disorders with a major emphasis on cleft lip and palate. We have found several genes and gene/environment interactions that add to the burden of clefts. Many of our studies are carried out using large population and epidemiologic studies of children, particularly from the Philippines, Japan, Denmark and Brazil, and we work in close collaboration with investigators in these countries. We are also involved in studies of the prevention and better treatment of children with birth defects on several clinical trials.

Combining our molecular and developmental expertise with studies of epidemiology and environmental causes holds out the promise for developing a better understanding of pediatric disorders. We hope to move into developing strategies for prevention that might include manipulation of genes or gene-environment interactions to prevent the primary occurrence of these tragic disorders.

Graduate students, residents and postdoctoral fellows in my laboratory serve in leadership roles for these projects and have primary responsibility for project design and implementation. We are strongly committed to providing opportunities for students in the classroom, the laboratory and in fieldwork to develop their interests and expertise in the application of genetic tools to an understanding of human disease and to clinical trials to improve outcomes.

Lab Members

• Alul, Farah, Graduate Research Assistant
• Benton, Daniel, Contracts Administrator
• Berends, Susan, Research Assistant
• Chung, Choongseo, Dental Student
• Dragan, Cathy, Research Assistant
• Erickson, Beth, Graduate Research Assistant
• Even, Dee, Research Assistant
• Goto, Takahiro, Postdoctoral Research Scholar
• Gurol, Eray Savgan, Endocrine Fellow
• Hanson, Alison, medical student
• Kelsey, Keegan, Research Assistant
• Kim, Jinsil, Graduate Research Assistant
• Knosp, Laura, Research Assistant
• L'Heureux, Jamie, Program Associate/Genetic Counselor
• Mann, Paul, Neonatology Fellow
• Mansilla, M. Adela, Research Assistant
• McConnell, Susie, Secretary
• Mohamed, Shakir, Neonatal Fellow
• Mueller, Kathryn, Predoctoral Student
• O'Connell, Rory, Programmer
• Petrin, Aline, Postdoc
• Powell-Young, Yolanda, Postdoc
• Stirling, Kara, Neonatology Fellow
• Wood, Jessica, Postdoc Fellow, Psychiatry
• Zeng, Shemin, Research Investigator

Affiliations

• Department of Epidemiology in Public Health
• Department of Biology
• College of Dentistry
• Murray Lab

Recent Publications

Back to Department of Pediatrics

Division of Neonatology

Division of Medical Genetics

Recent Publications

Contact Information:
Office: 319-335-6897
E-mail: jeff-murray@uiowa.edu