Dr. Mustafa Tekin Named Chair of Human Genetics

The prolific author and researcher looks to expand the department’s status as a thought leader that advances the field of genetics through pioneering research and a commitment to excellence.

Mustafa Tekin, M.D., has been named chair of the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and will now set his sights on growing a department defined by a history of innovative research and a culture of inclusion and equity. 

Dr. Tekin came to the Miller School as an associate professor in the Department of Human Genetics in 2008 after earning his medical degree and serving as pediatric geneticist at Ankara University in Turkey. He completed Miller School fellowship training in clinical molecular genetics in 2012, was named chief of the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics’ Division of Clinical and Translational Medicine in 2014 and later the department’s interim chair. 

A respected researcher and prolific author, Dr. Tekin was awarded more than $1.5 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in 2023. With the John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, the department ranked third in the nation among departments of human genetics in 2023 NIH research funding, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. His bibliography includes more than 200 manuscripts in high-impact journals. 

The work of the Department of Human Genetics is increasingly multidisciplinary and Dr. Tekin will be tasked with establishing efficient, dynamic relationships with members of the data science, informatics, genomics and personalized medicine disciplines. A large part of his responsibility will entail recruiting faculty members with varied research interests and diverse backgrounds and establishing a template for team science that stretches beyond the Miller School and throughout the University of Miami. 

The department has garnered national and international recognition for its pioneering work on Alzheimer’s disease gene sequencing, neurodegenerative diseases, hearing loss, scleroses and eye diseases. Its emphasis on diversity is reflected in its many research studies that enroll subjects who not only mirror the population of South Florida, but also that of the Caribbean and Latin America.

The department serves as one of 10 national enrollment consortia for the NIH’s high-profile “All of Us” research program that catalogues risk factors and successful treatments for people of different backgrounds into a database that can inform thousands of studies on a variety of health conditions. 

An engaged colleague and mentor, Dr. Tekin looks to expand the department’s status as a thought leader that advances the field of genetics through pioneering research and a commitment to excellence. As a superb clinician and educator, Dr. Tekin will continue to be involved in the innovation and expansion of medical genetics training and education at the Miller School. 

Tags: Division of Clinical and Translational Genetics, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics, Dr. Mustafa Tekin