Joy M. McDaniel, Ph.D.

Joy M. McDaniel, Ph.D., is a clinical assistant professor of genetics in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, where she serves as the integrated thread lead for genetics. In this role, she designs, implements and oversees the longitudinal genetics curriculum across the four-year medical education program, preparing future primary care physicians to integrate modern genomic medicine and personalized health care into clinical practice.

Prior to joining the College of Medicine, McDaniel served as an instructor and postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Genetics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying mutant p53-driven aggressive breast cancers, including triple-negative and inflammatory breast cancers. Her work has been supported by competitive grants, including an NCI F32 Individual National Research Service Award and collaborative grants focused on inflammatory breast cancer mechanisms and identifying key transcriptional regulators of metastatic breast cancers. She has authored peer-reviewed studies in journals including Cancer Research Communications, PNAS, Cancer Discovery, Cancer Research and Oncotarget.

McDaniel earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Spelman College, where she graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors. She earned a master's degree in biological sciences and a doctoral degree in biotechnology, science and engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She conducted her doctoral research at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Alabama.

McDaniel is committed to higher education, mentorship and scientific outreach. Her teaching experience includes undergraduate anatomy and physiology, general chemistry and molecular biology, as well as research supervision for graduate students and medical trainees. She has also led community initiatives introducing youth to careers in STEM and regularly participates in community education and patient advocacy through keynote presentations and lectures for organizations including Susan G. Komen and the Cancer Awareness Network.