Morton graduated in 1973 from Maryland's
Easton High School and in 1977 from the
College of William and Mary with a bachelor's degree in biology. In 1982 she received her Ph.D. in human genetics from the
Medical College of Virginia. At Harvard Medical School she is now the William Lambert Richardson Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine as well as a professor of pathology. At Brigham and Women's Hospital she also holds the Keneth J. Ryan, M.D., Distinguished Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She has done research on "
molecular cytogenetics,
hereditary deafness, genetics of
uterine leiomyomata and human
developmental disorders." Morton is the author or co-author of over 300 articles in academic journals. For six years (from 2005 to 2011) she was editor-in-chief of the
American Journal of Human Genetics. She is married and has a daughter and a son. ==Awards and honors==