Dr. Cybel Mehawej

Genetics Research Network

Cybel Mehawej obtained her PhD in genetics from Paris Descartes University and from Saint-Joseph University (USJ) in 2013 (International Dual Degree PhD). Her PhD work aimed to identify new genes involved in skeletal dysplasia. In 2015, Dr Mehawej joined Dr Raif Geha’s laboratory at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School as a postdoctoral fellow, where she focused on the identification of the molecular bases of Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (PIDs). July 2017, Dr Mehawej was recruited as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine at USJ where she was in charge of teaching functional genetics and immunogenetics to Medical students. She was also in charge of the molecular diagnosis of patients with PIDs. Dr Mehawej contributed to the implementation of the TREC-based neonatal screening for severe combined immunodeficiency diseases and T-cell lymphopenia conditions in Lebanon, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, AUBMC and iFight PID fund. Dr Mehawej’s activities led to the identification of several genes involved in orphan diseases. Her current research focuses on the elucidation of the molecular bases of genetic disorders, with a special focus on PIDs. She is author and co-author of 20 papers published in peer-reviewed journals.