Shelly Alexandra Buffington

Shelly Alexandra Buffington, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine. She holds dual affiliations within the Department of Neuroscience and the Center for Precision Environmental Health. Her work focuses on maternal gut microbiome dynamics and their intergenerational impacts on neurodevelopmental health, integrating neuroscience, microbiology, and immunology.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine (2012)
• B.S. in Biophysical Chemistry, University of Arkansas (2007)

Research Interests:

• Maternal environmental exposures and their effects on offspring neurodevelopment
• Host-microbe interactions in the gut-brain axis
• Therapeutic targeting of maternal microbiome dysbiosis
• Mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorder etiology

Grant Activities:

• NIH/NICHD R01 HD109095: Targeting opportunistic pathogens for maternal obesity-related outcomes (2022–2027)
• John S. Dunn Foundation Award: Maternal high-fat diet's epigenetic reprogramming of offspring brain (2022–2024)
• NIH/NICHD R01 HD109780: Maternal gut microbiota in fetal neurodevelopmental programming (2023–2028)

Scientific Awards:

• Deputy Editor (honor added to awards section)

Her lab employs an interdisciplinary approach using functional multi-OMICs to study microbially-derived metabolites, immune signaling modulation during pregnancy, and vertical microbiota transmission. Current projects aim to translate findings into antenatal interventions for neurodevelopmental disorders. She also holds a method patent (BAYMP0183US.P1) co-invented with Mauro Costa-Mattioli.