Biography

Dr. Zinn received his B.A. degree in 1981 from Plan II at The University of Texas at Austin, where he did research on ribosome structure with biochemist Boyd Hardesty, Ph.D. He received his MD and PhD degrees from the UT Southwestern Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) in 1988. His dissertation research under the mentorship of Ronald Butow, Ph.D. concerned yeast mitochondrial genetics. Dr. Zinn then did a residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in human genetics in the lab of David Page, MD, at the Whitehead Institute, MIT. He returned to UT Southwestern in 1993 as an independent research fellow and was appointed to the faculty in 1996. In 2008 he became the director of the MSTP, and in 2013 he was appointed Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. His research program in the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development focused on human genetic growth disorders, including sex chromosome abnormalities, hereditary obesity, and other rare genetic diseases. 

Education

Undergraduate
University of Texas-Austin (1981), Liberal Arts
Medical School
Univ of Tx Southwestern Med Ct (1988), Medicine
Graduate School
Univ of Tx Southwestern Med Ct (1988), Molecular & Cell Biology

Research Interest

  • genetic obesity
  • rare human genetic disorders
  • sex chromosome disorders

Publications

Featured Publications LegendFeatured Publications

Postnatal Sim1 deficiency causes hyperphagic obesity and reduced Mc4r and Oxytocin expression
Tolson KP, Gemelli T, Gautron L, Elmquist JK, Zinn AR* and Kublaoui BM* (*Equal contributors) J Neurosci 2010 30 3083
Postnatal Sim1 deficiency causes hyperphagic obesity and reduced Mc4r and Oxytocin expression
Tolson KP, Gemelli T, Gautron L, Elmquist JK, Zinn AR* and Kublaoui BM* (*Equal contributors). J Neurosci 2010 30 3803
Refined mapping of X-linked reticulate pigmentary disorder and sequencing of candidate genes.
Jaeckle Santos LJ, Xing C, Barnes RB, Ades LC, Megarbane A, Vidal C, Xuereb A, Tarpey PS, Smith R, Khazab M, Shoubridge C, Partington M, Futreal A, Stratton MR, Gecz J, Zinn AR Hum. Genet. 2008 Jun 123 5 469-76
Oxytocin deficiency mediates hyperphagic obesity of Sim1 haploinsufficient mice
Kublaoui BM, Gemelli T, Tolson KP, Wang Y, Zinn AR Mol Endocrinol 2008 22 1723-1734
Oxytocin deficiency mediates hyperphagic obesity of Sim1 haploinsufficient mice
Kublaoui BM, Gemelli T, Tolson KP, Wang Y, Zinn AR Mol Endocrinol 2008 22 1723-1734
SIM1 overexpression partially rescues agouti yellow and diet-induced obesity by normalizing food intake.
Kublaoui BM, Holder JL Jr, Tolson KP, Gemelli T, Zinn AR Endocrinology 2006 147 4542-4549
Sim1 haploinsufficiency impairs melanocortin-mediated anorexia and activation of paraventricular nucleus neurons
Kublaoui BM, Holder JL Jr, Gemelli T, Zinn AR Mol Endocrinol 2006 20 2483-2492

Honors & Awards

  • Pfizer Scholar
    (1994)
  • Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Cancer Research Fund Fellowship
    (1990-1993) (1990)
  • NIDDK Medical Resident Award
    (1990)
  • Nominata Award for Outstanding Research, UT Southwestern
    (1988)
  • Alpha Omega Alpha
    (1987)

Professional Associations/Affiliations

  • AAMC Graduate Education, Research, and Teaching (GREAT) Group (2008)
  • American Society for Human Genetics