Dr. Peggy Goodell named chair of cell biology
Content
Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Goodell has been named chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine by the College’s Board of Trustees. The appointment is effective Oct. 1.
“Dr. Goodell is internationally recognized for her work in regenerative medicine and is the ideal leader for this important department,” said Dr. Paul Klotman, president, CEO and executive dean of Baylor College of Medicine. “She is a renowned scientist in her field and an accomplished faculty member and leader since joining Baylor in 1997. I look forward to working with her in this new leadership role.”
Goodell succeeds Dr. Bert O’Malley, who led the acclaimed department for more than 45 years. When O’Malley was named chancellor of the College in 2018, Dr. Jeffrey Rosen was named interim chair.
“I am extremely excited by the opportunity to lead this world-class department. I am looking forward to recruiting new faculty and expanding into new areas of research in the coming years.”
Goodell is a leader in the field of stem cell research. At Baylor she serves as a professor in several departments, including pediatrics – hematology and molecular and human genetics and in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, as well as programs in integrative molecular and biomedical sciences, development biology and translational biology and molecular medicine. She was the founding director of the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center at Baylor and holds the Vivian L. Smith Chair in Regenerative Medicine. She is co-leader of the Cancer Cell and Gene Therapy Program in the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor.
She received her bachelor’s degree from Imperial College in London and her doctorate from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Whitehead Institute at MIT and Harvard Medical School.
Her laboratory at Baylor focuses on murine and human hematopoietic stem cells and genetic and epigenetic regulation and development. She is known for discovering a novel method to isolate adult stem cells.
Goodell has received numerous awards for teaching and research.