Villanova University Awards Mendel Medal to Renowned Molecular Geneticist Huda Zoghbi, MD
VILLANOVA, Pa. (September 8, 2026) — Villanova University has named Huda Zoghbi, MD, distinguished service professor at Baylor College of Medicine, investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and founding director of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, as the 2026 recipient of the Mendel Medal.
The Mendel Medal is named for 19th-century Augustinian friar and scientist Gregor Mendel, best known as “the father of modern genetics,” for his discovery of the celebrated laws of heredity that bear his name. Dr. Zoghbi is the 55th recipient of the award, which was first presented by Villanova in 1929 and is given to outstanding contemporary scientists in recognition of their accomplishments.
“Villanova University is honored to recognize Dr. Zoghbi with the 2026 Mendel Medal,” said University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD. “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.”
Dr. Zoghbi’s pioneering research has advanced understanding of the genetic causes of neurological disorders, with significant implications for the development of new treatments. Her groundbreaking work on Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 1 helped establish how genetic mutations can cause harmful proteins to accumulate in neurons, offering important insights into the mechanisms underlying other neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. Her research on Rett syndrome further transformed understanding of the disorder, leading to the discovery that mutations in the MECP2 gene cause Rett syndrome and demonstrating the importance of maintaining appropriate levels of the MeCP2 protein for normal brain function.
Building on these discoveries, Dr. Zoghbi and her team have more recently shown that genetic therapies can restore MeCP2 protein levels and reverse disease-related effects in animal models. These findings have helped pave the way for ongoing clinical trials. Her current research focuses on understanding the genetic basis of autism and on developing therapeutics for Tau-driven neurodegenerative disorders and Parkinson disease.
Dr. Zoghbi is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her many honors include the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the Canada Gairdner International Prize, the Lundbeck Foundation’s 2020 Brain Prize, the Kavli Prize, the August M. Watanabe Prize in Translational Research and, most recently, the Nancy Lurie Marks Prize for Autism Research.
Villanova University, as an institution founded by the Augustinian Order, plays a key role in sustaining Mendel’s legacy. The Mendel Medal is awarded to outstanding scientists who have worked to advance the cause of science and, by their lives and their standing before the world as scientists, have demonstrated that between true science and true religion there is no intrinsic conflict. To learn more about the Mendel Medal and its history, please visit the Mendel Medal website.
About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.