Dr. Thomas Lloyd, an expert in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research and other neuromuscular disorders such as inclusion body myositis, has been named the new chair of the Department of Neurology at Baylor College of Medicine.
He joins Baylor from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he has been a professor of neurology and neuroscience and an attending physician at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
"I am honored to be selected as the next chair of neurology and thrilled to be coming back home to Houston. Baylor has a rich tradition of important contributions to neurology, including training future leaders and providing compassionate and expert patient care. My goal is to build on these strengths to make the department one of the best in the country. Baylor is a world leader in neuroscience and genetics, and I am excited about the opportunity to translate research discoveries into better treatments for patients with neurologic disease," Lloyd said.
Along with his focus on neurogenetics and motor neuron diseases, his other clinical interests include motor neuropathies, which are characterized by motor nerve damage leading to weakness, and muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy and myositis.
Lloyd's research interests include understanding the genetic mechanisms that cause motor neuron and muscle diseases with a goal of identifying novel drug targets for neurodegenerative diseases.
While at Johns Hopkins, Lloyd held faculty and leadership positions including co-directing the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center, the largest center in the country. There, he led a multidisciplinary clinic that managed all aspects of patient care, including physiatry, physical and occupational therapy, orthotics, swallowing, nutrition, social work and counseling. He also led the neurology consult service, the neuromuscular clinical trials unit and the neuromuscular pathology laboratory.
"Dr. Lloyd specializes in neuromuscular disorders in adults, with a particular interest in neurogenetics and motor neuron diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, motor neuropathies and muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy," said Dr. Paul Klotman, president, CEO and executive dean. "His research interests include understanding the mechanisms of motor neuron degeneration using simple genetic model systems. Dr. Lloyd is also developing genetic and pharmacologic screens to identify novel drug targets for motor neuron diseases. I look forward to working with him."
Lloyd is no stranger to Baylor; he earned his Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology and his medical degree from Baylor. Prior to that, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in chemistry and biochemistry from Rice University.
His postdoctoral work, residency and fellowship training in neurology and neuromuscular medicine took place at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Over the course of his career, Lloyd has contributed chapters to textbooks and also published nearly 100 studies and articles in high-profile medical journals such as Cell, Neuron, Nature, Science Translational Medicine and Neurology. He is a member of many professional societies, such as the Society for Neuroscience, the American Neurological Association and the American Society of Clinical Investigation.
