Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D

Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D. is a Pediatrician and Medical Geneticist at the University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX. Dr. DeBerardinis graduated from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA with a degree in Biology. He then joined the M.D.-Ph.D. program at the University of Pennsylvania and performed his thesis research on retrotransposition of mammalian L1 elements under the mentorship of Haig H. Kazazian, M.D. in the Department of Genetics. The experience stimulated a deep interest in the connections between genetics and human health, and after graduation Dr. DeBerardinis joined the Combined Residency Program in Pediatrics and Genetics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, ultimately obtaining Board Certification in Pediatrics, Medical Genetics and Biochemical Genetics.

Dr. DeBerardinis' clinical work focuses on the inborn errors of metabolism and newborn screening. In the laboratory, he performed post-doctoral research with Craig B. Thompson, M.D. in the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn, focusing on the impact of signal transduction pathways on cellular metabolic activities, and how these activities support cell growth and cancer. Since January, 2008, Dr. DeBerardinis has an independent laboratory at UT - Southwestern, where he is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Genetics. He continues to explore the mechanisms by which cell signaling influences metabolism, and is seeking ways to apply this information to the diagnosis and treatment of children with genetic metabolic diseases. Dr. DeBerardinis has received several awards for clinical work, teaching and basic science research, including the Roy G. Williams Award from Penn, the Senior Resident Clinician Award from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Neil Buist Award from the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders.