Dr. El-Zein earned her Medical Degree followed by a Masters in Human Genetics from the University of Alexandria. She then completed her Doctoral degree in Human Biological Chemistry and Genetics at the University of Texas Medical Branch with a focus on cancer genetics. In 1997, she joined the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as a postdoctoral fellow and rose through the ranks to Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology. In 2015, Dr. El-Zein joined Houston Methodist as a Professor in the Department of Radiology and a full member of the Research Institute.

Dr. El-Zein is an active member of the national and international scientific community. She serves/served as a reviewer for the National Institute of Health, National Lung, Heart and Blood Institute and the American Cancer Society. Internationally, she is a grant reviewer for the Italian Ministry of Health. Dr. El-Zein also serves as a peer reviewer for several high impact journals.

Dr. El-Zein’s research focus is on understanding the role of gene-environment interactions in the risk of cancer development. She has developed expertise in the area of biomarkers and genetic susceptibility to disease. She has applied unique markers to identify several inherited genetic traits that influence human sensitivity to different cancers such as lung, breast and lymphomas. Dr. El-Zein’s laboratory has a translational research approach, and is currently studying human populations using quantitative imaging coupled with molecular biomarkers to identify unique signatures that would improve the power of cancer risk assessment models. The results from these studies are providing new information that has significant and practical public health implications in the area of early detection and primary prevention of disease. The overall goal is to develop novel approaches to identify susceptible individuals at high risk of developing lung and breast cancers. New knowledge generated from these research endeavors are geared to fulfill the need for rapid and efficient translation of emerging new technologies and approaches for improved patient management, early detection and prevention.Dr. El-Zein’s research focus is on understanding the role of gene-environment interactions in the risk of cancer development. She has developed expertise in the area of genotypic and phenotypic biomarkers and genetic susceptibility to disease. She has applied these unique markers to identify several inherited genetic traits that influence human sensitivity to different cancers such as lung, breast and lymphomas. Dr. El-Zein’s laboratory has a translational research approach, and is currently studying human populations using quantitative imaging coupled with molecular biomarkers to identify unique signatures that would improve the power of cancer risk assessment models. The results from these studies are providing new information that has significant and practical public health implications in the area of early detection and primary prevention of disease. The overall goal is to develop novel approaches to identify susceptible individuals at high risk of developing lung and breast cancers. New knowledge generated from these research endeavors are geared to fulfill the need for rapid and efficient translation of emerging new technologies and approaches for improved patient management, early detection and prevention.