Ricki Lewis grew up in New York City. She earned her PhD in genetics from Indiana University in 1980, working with mutant flies that had legs growing out of their heads. She has built an eclectic career in communicating science, through magazine articles, public lectures, and a string of popular college textbooks.

Dr. Lewis is the author of Human Genetics: Concepts and Applications, currently in its 10th edition and used worldwide, from McGraw-Hill Higher Education; co-author of two human anatomy and physiology textbooks; and founding author of the introductory textbook Life. She is author of Discovery: Windows on the Life Sciences (Blackwell Science), and the novel Stem Cell Symphony, about using rock music to activate stem cells in the brain to cure disease.

She is a genetic counselor at CareNet Medical Group in Schenectady, NY and teaches Genethics online for the master’s program at the Alden March Bioethics Institute of Albany Medical College. Dr. Lewis is a volunteer for Community Hospice in Schenectady and a frequent public speaker. Her husband Larry is a research chemist, and they have three grown daughters, five aging felines, and a tortoise.

PRAISE FOR RICKI LEWIS:

"Hands down, Ricki, you were a fantastic hit! I heard so many compliments [about] your presentation [and] how much you connected with the audience...Our Dean (who was at the lecture) asked how I 'found' you."

-Marlene Shaw, PhD Professor Emerita, University of Southern Indiana