The Chief Research Officer, has determined that UTMB research should be prioritized into six health communities. This researcher has received the following badge(s):

Dr. Erin Cooney is an Associate Professor in the Division of Medical Genetics & Metabolism at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). Dr. Cooney’s clinical focus is on medical genetics and the inborn errors of metabolism. She is the Medical Director for UTMB Biochemical Genetics & Newborn Screening and the UTMB Genetics of Autism Clinic. She is the Medical Supervisor for UTMB Prenatal Genetics. Dr. Cooney is a consultant for the Texas Newborn Screening Program and advocates on a national level for improved metabolic practices through the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders Public Policy Committee.

Dr. Cooney has a special interest in medical education. She works with trainees of all levels including medical and physician assistant students through the UTMB School of Medicine; genetic counseling students as adjunct faculty through the UT Health Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; UTMB pediatric residents; and UTMB maternal fetal medicine fellows. Dr. Cooney holds undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetic Technology from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at MD Anderson Cancer Center, respectively. She received her doctoral degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and completed Pediatrics and Clinical Genetics & Genomics residencies as well as a clinical fellowship in Medical Biochemical Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine (affiliated with Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas). Dr. Cooney is triple boarded with certifications in the following: (1) Pediatrics; (2) Clinical Genetics & Genomics; and (3) Medical Biochemical Genetics.

Dr. Cooney was recipient of the American College of Medical Genetics & Genomics Foundation Training Award and Resident of the Year by the Baylor Department of Molecular and Human Genetics in 2017. In 2021, she was honored with the Early Career Pediatric Educator Award for Excellence in Student Education by the UTMB Department of Pediatrics. In 2024, she was honored with the first ever UTMB Lillian L. Lockhart, MD Endowed Professorship in Genetics, named after her predecessor who was a beloved member of the UTMB community for over 60 years.

Dr. Cooney is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Texas Pediatric Society, American College of Medical Genetics & Genomics, and the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders.