Cynthia Casson Morton

Cynthia Casson Morton, William Lambert Richardson Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, is a leading figure in medical genetics and reproductive genomics. She also holds a secondary appointment as Professor of Pathology at the same institution.

• College of William and Mary (B.S. in Biology, 1977)
• Medical College of Virginia (Ph.D. in Human Genetics, 1982)
• Harvard Medical School (Molecular Genetics, 1987)

Her research bridges chromosomal structural variants with clinical outcomes, focusing on uterine leiomyomas, hearing disorders, and rare germline diseases. She integrates genomics with reproductive biology to uncover genetic mechanisms underlying infertility and developmental conditions. Key themes include noncoding RNA analysis, telomere-to-telomere assembly, and translational applications of genetic screening.

Recent publications highlight her work on long-read sequencing for chromosomal analysis (2024), genome-wide studies of dizygotic twinning and uterine fibroids (2024), and ethical frameworks for newborn genome screening (2022). These span genomics, reproductive medicine, and bioinformatics.

Scientific awards:

• ASHG Leadership Award (2024)

Dr. Morton has secured continuous NIH funding since 2003, including R01 grants for DFNA9 therapy, sequencing protocols for fibroids, and chromosomal studies. Her co-authors include prominent researchers in human genetics and reproductive biology.