Ryan H. Rochat, MD, PhD, MS
- Infectious Disease

Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist
Director, Biomedical Informatics Dual Degree Program, Baylor College of Medicine
Phone:
832-824-4330
Languages: English
Departments:
Office location:
1102 Bates Avenue
Houston, TX 77030
Get to know Ryan H. Rochat, MD, PhD, MS
Dr. Ryan Rochat is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Baylor College of Medicine. He also directs the Biomedical Informatics Dual Degree Program and oversees the Bioinformatics Thread in the Foundation Modules for Medical School Curriculum. With a keen interest in bioinformatics, Dr. Rochat has an interest in the progression of congenital infections throughout childhood as well as the real-world costs associated with these conditions.
His expertise in informatics has been pivotal in addressing congenital syphilis, a neglected disease with rising cases in Texas. Observing gaps in follow-up care for these infants, Dr. Rochat established a clinic in 2022 dedicated to congenital syphilis, where he centralizes the care of affected children. This clinic aims to provide excellence in patient care and serves as a valuable resource for health care providers, the community and local health departments. By normalizing the evaluation and management of congenital syphilis within this centralized clinic, Dr. Rochat hopes to better understand the epidemiology of the infection and improve treatment and follow-up efforts to address this ongoing issue.
Personal Statement
My journey as an MD and a PhD has been diverse and unique. During my graduate training I developed a strong interest in bioinformatics. This has influenced how I approach medicine, especially with the use of electronic health records (EHRs). During my fellowship in pediatric infectious disease, I used advanced informatics to study the real-world utilization of resources as well as progression of disease for congenital infections. Recently, Texas has been front and center amidst a resurgence of a once forgotten disease, congenital syphilis. With cases nearly 20 times what they were a decade ago in Texas, I sought to establish a clinic dedicated to this congenital infection. It is my belief that by centralizing evaluation and management of patients, we can provide excellent patient care and serve as a valuable resource for providers, the community and local health departments. By integrating the evaluation and management of these children across the Texas Children’s Hospital system, I feel we will be exceptionally well equipped to understand the natural epidemiology of this congenital infection and prioritize treatment, and patient follow up, to ebb this current trend.
Clinical Interests
Congenital Syphilis, Congenital Infections, Structural Virology, Pediatric Infectious Disease
Education
School | Education | Degree | Year |
---|---|---|---|
Baylor College of Medicine | Fellowship | Pediatric Infectious Disease | 2020 |
Baylor College of Medicine | Residency | Pediatrics | 2017 |
Baylor College of Medicine | Medical School | Doctor of Medicine | 2014 |
Baylor College of Medicine | PhD | Doctor of Philosophy in Computational Biology | 2012 |
Washington University in St. Louis | Masters | Master of Science in Genetic Epidemiology | 2005 |
Washington University in St. Louis | Bachelors | Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Mathematics | 2003 |
Organizations
Organization Name | Role |
---|---|
America Academy of Pediatrics | Member |
Infectious Diseases Society of America | Member |
Board Certification
American Board of Pediatrics, FAAP
* Texas Children’s Hospital physicians’ licenses and credentials are reviewed prior to practicing at any of our facilities. Sections titled From the Doctor, Professional Organizations and Publications were provided by the physician’s office and were not verified by Texas Children’s Hospital.
Research interests
Leveraging clinical informatics to understand the long-term outcomes and healthcare utilization of children affected by a congenital infection
Del Valle Penella A, Miller J, Rochat R, Demmler-Harrison G. Utility of Dried Blood Spots for the Diagnosis of Congenital Cytomegaloviruses within the First 21 Days of Life in a Single Center. International Journal of Neonatal Screening, 2023 Aug 4;9(3):44. doi: 10.3390/ijns9030044. PMID: 37606481; PMCID: PMC10443379
Kara, E.M., Arısoy, A.E., Rochat, R.H. Congenital Syphilis and Hearing Loss. In: Arısoy, A.E., Arısoy, E.S., Bayar Muluk, N., Cingi, C., Correa, A.G. (eds) Hearing Loss in Congenital, Neonatal and Childhood Infections. Comprehensive ENT. 2023. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38495-0_10
Zimolzak AJ, Davila JA, Punugoti V, Balasubramanyam A, Klotman PE, Petersen LA, Rochat RH, Liao G, Laubscher RR, Leiber L, Amos CI. Lessons Learned from an Enterprise-Wide Clinical Datathon. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. Published online, 2022. doi:10.1017/cts.2022.450
Rochat RH, Demmler-Harrison GJ, Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2 In: Cherry JE, Harrison GJ, Kaplan SL, Steinback WJ, Hotez PJ, editors. Feigin and Cherry's Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Disease 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018. Chapter 158; p.2145-2150
Dai W, Fu C, Raytcheva D, Flanagan J, Khant H, Liu X, Rochat RH, Haase-Pettingell C, Piret J, Ludtke S, Nagayama K, Schmid MF, King JA and Chiu W. Visualizing Virus Assembly Intermediates Inside Marine Cyanobacteria. Nature, 2013 Oct 31;502(7473):707-10. Epub 2013 Oct 9. PMID 24107993
Schmid MF, Hecksel CW, Rochat RH, Bhella D, Chiu W, Rixon FJ. A Tail-like Assembly at the Portal Vertex in Intact Herpes Simplex Type-1 Virions. PLoS Pathogens, 2012 Oct;8(10). Epub 2012 Oct 4. PMID 23055933
Bammes BE*, Rochat RH*, Jakana J, Chen DH, Chiu W. Direct electron detection yields cryo-EM reconstructions at resolutions beyond 3/4 Nyquist frequency. Journal of Structural Biology, 2012 Jan 21. PMID: 22285189