Scientific Director, NextGen Precision Health building
Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Missouri
Curators’ Distinguished Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Curators’ Distinguished Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health, School of Medicine
NextGen Focus Area: Reproductive Health
Thomas Spencer was appointed scientific director of the NextGen Precision Health building in 2020, and currently serves as the University of Missouri vice chancellor for research. Prior to serving in these roles, he worked with MU leadership as associate vice chancellor for research and strategic initiatives.
Scientific discovery and research leadership define Dr. Spencer’s career. Elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2019, Dr. Spencer is an internationally recognized reproductive and developmental biologist.
He has authored or coauthored more than 300 research articles, reviews and book chapters and has been the editor-in-chief of Biology of Reproduction, a premier journal in reproductive biology research. His research program has been continuously funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health.
A native of Auburn, Alabama, Dr. Spencer earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Auburn University and a doctorate in reproductive biology from Texas A&M University.
Precision Health Impact:
- Elucidating mechanisms underlying unexplained infertility and endometrium-based disease
- Improving diagnosis and treatment of infertility
- Improving women’s reproductive health
Publications:
- Fitzgerald HC, Kelleher AM, Ranjit C, Schust DJ, Spencer TE. Basolateral secretions of human endometrial epithelial organoids impact stromal cell decidualization. Mol Hum Reprod. 2023 Apr 3;29(4):gaad007.
- Kelleher AM, Allen CC, Davis DJ, Spencer TE. Prss29 Cre recombinase mice are useful to study adult uterine gland function. Genesis. 2022 Dec;60(10–12):e23493.
- Dhakal P, Kelleher AM, Behura SK, Spencer TE. Sexually dimorphic effects of forkhead box a2 (FOXA2) and uterine glands on decidualization and fetoplacental development. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Sep 22;117(38):23952–9.
- Davenport KM, Ortega MS, Liu H, O’Neil EV, Kelleher AM, Warren WC, et al. Single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) uncovers trophoblast cell types and lineages in the mature bovine placenta. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Mar 21;120(12):e2221526120.
- Dhakal P, Fitzgerald HC, Kelleher AM, Liu H, Spencer TE. Uterine glands impact embryo survival and stromal cell decidualization in mice. FASEB J. 2021 Oct;35(10):e21938.
Google Scholar
PubMed
Email: spencerte@missouri.edu
Department website: http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/20047236.html