Dr. Joseph Ray is the Division Director of Medical Genetics and Metabolism and an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. He received his MD from the McGovern School of Medicine and completed his post-doctoral fellowship in Molecular Genetics as well as his pediatric residency and Medical Genetics fellowship in a combined program at the McGovern School of Medicine. He also serves as a consultant for the Texas Newborn Screening Program where he consults, collaborates and reports on the health status of newborns in the State who have received abnormal newborn screening results.
He specializes in Medical Genetics. Dr. Ray sees both adult and pediatric patients with all forms of conditions with genetic etiologies, which include skeletal dysplasias, cancer syndromes, chromosome abnormalities, single gene defects, inborn errors of metabolism, mitochondrial disorders and many others. Patients, who are diagnosed with phenylketonuria – better known as PKU – and their families, come to him to learn how to manage and live as normal a lifestyle as possible with this lifelong disease. His enthusiasm for helping his patients extends to his off time where he spends one week every summer volunteering as physician and counselor at Camp PHEver for children with PKU. Both fun and teaching skillful disease management are necessities.
Dr. Ray has a passion for teaching. He enjoys making the study and understanding of genetics accessible and interesting to all. Regular rotations of up-and-coming physicians, physician assistants, genetic counselors, nursing students and others who have a penchant for this specialty study alongside him and are staples on his clinic schedules. He artfully teaches complex genetic syndromes using technology, thus enabling these future medical professionals the ability to help recognize and intervene with patients who present with multiple, and often, seemingly non-related, health concerns.
He is board certified in the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics.