Rothenberg Lab

Marc Rothenberg, MD, PhD
marc.rothenberg@cchmc.org

Director, Division of Allergy and Immunology

Dr. Rothenberg is the Director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology, and a tenured Professor of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He graduated summa cum laude with Highest Honors in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Brandeis University. He then matriculated at Harvard Medical School in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program. His Ph.D. under the mentorship of Dr. Frank Austen included seminal studies on eosinophil hematopoiesis, as he developed the first culture system for human eosinophils. After completing a two-year residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Boston, Dr. Rothenberg did a combined fellowship in allergy/immunology and hematology at Children’s Hospital in Boston. During this fellowship program, Dr. Rothenberg did post-doctorate training in the genetics laboratory of Dr. Philip Leder at Harvard Medical School, where he cloned the eotaxin chemokine. After being on faculty of Harvard Medical School for one year, he came to the University of Cincinnati and Children’s Hospital Medical Center, one of the largest pediatric medical and research centers in the United States. He is actively involved in managing a research program focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of allergic disorders. At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, he has helped build a top program in pediatric research, and his division is a leader in pediatric allergy and immunology. In addition, he sees patients suffering from allergic and immunological diseases from around the world as part of the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders that he directs.

Dr. Rothenberg’s awards include the Pharmacia Allergy Research Foundation Award for the best young investigator in the allergy field; the Young Investigator Award and the Scholar in Allergy Award from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; the Ohio Governor’s Recognition Award; and the 2007 E Mead Johnson Award from the Society of Pediatric Research. He is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, Society for Pediatric Research, and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Among his extensive publications of over 150 articles on molecular mechanisms of allergic responses, Dr. Rothenberg edited a book entitled, “Chemokines in Allergic Disease”. He has served on various review panels for journals and grant agencies including the National Institutes of Health, Burroughs Trust, and the Medical Research Council of the UK. He is a current member of the Advisory Council of the NIAID. His research has been supported by numerous sources including the Human Frontier Science Program Organization, the Burroughs Welcome Fund and the National Institutes of Health.

Carine Blanchard, PhD
carine.blanchard@cchmc.org

Research Instructor of Pediatrics

Dr. Carine Blanchard is an Instructor in the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital after completing her post-doctoral work in the lab of Dr. Rothenberg from 2004-2008. She is originally from France where she graduated from the Universite Claude Bernard Lyon with her PhD. Dr. Blanchard’s current research interests are in the area of the molecular pathogenesis of Eosinophilic Esophagitis where she combines clinical and laboratory research to elucidate the molecular characteristics that define Eosinophilic Esophagitis, focused on:

1. Eosinophilic Esophagitis Transcriptome
2. Non-invasive Biomarkers
3. Molecular Signals including Eotaxin-3, Periostin, and TSG-6

Dr. Blanchard is a member of the American Gastroenterology Association and American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. She is also the recipient of the Thrasher grant, the Digestive Health Centers Award, the American Heart Association Post-doctoral grant, and an NIH R21 grant. She also just gave birth to twins!

Ariel Munitz, PhD
ariel.munitz@cchmc.org

Ariel is a post-doctorial fellow from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. His research focus is the role of inhibitory receptors in mucosal immunology and IL-13Ra1 dependent pathways in mucosal immunity. He is the recipient of The Rotschild Foundation Award (2006-7), The JCF/MF Foundation Award (2006-8), and the American Heart Association Grant (2008-10).  Ariel hopes to one day have his own lab back in Israel. In his free time, he likes to play basketball and read.

Li Zuo, MD
li.zuo@cchmc.org

Instructor of Clinical Pediatrics

After completing his pediatric residency at the Medical University of Toledo, Dr. Li Zuo became an Allergy and Immunology fellow at Cincinnati Children's Hospital from 2005-2008. He joined the Rothenberg lab to study food allergy mechanism and explore new therapeutic options for the treatment of food allergy. His specific project focuses on the essential role of IL-13 in the pathogenesis of experimental EE in mice.

Julie Caldwell, PhD
julie.caldwell1@cchmc.org

Dr. Caldwell completed her BS at Xavier University and PhD in the lab of Dr. Yolanda Sanchez at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Caldwell is researching the molecular mechanisms of Eosinophilic Esophagitis. She is actively identifying non-invasive biomarkers for the disease and analyzing steroid-induced signaling. Julie and her husband like to play softball and watch sports.

Charles DeBrosse, MD
charles.debrosse@cchmc.org

Dr. DeBrosse is a clinical fellow who received his MD from the University of Cincinnati and his BS from Ohio State University. His research is focused on the long-term effects of Eosinophilic Esophagitis, the genetic basis, and pathways for drug development. Dr. DeBrosse spends all his time after work playing with his two boys and his brand new baby daughter.

Patricia Fulkerson, PhD, MD
patricia.fulkerson@cchmc.org

Research Resident

Patty is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan and earned her PhD & MD from the University of Cincinnati. She is currently a Research Resident in Dr. Rothenberg's lab working on defining the role of novel eosinophil-associated genes, including the transcription factor Spi-C. Patty is the recipient of the AMA Foundation Seed Grant, Functional Genomics Pilot Project Grants, and the Functional Genomics Fellowship and Physician Scientist Training Program Scholar Awards from the University of Cincinnati. When she is not in clinic or on call, she is either in the lab, hanging out with her husband, 3 kids, and 2 cats or sleeping.

Eun-Jin Lim, PhD
eunjin.lim@cchmc.org

Eunjin is a post-doctorial fellow that came to the Rothenberg lab from the University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on the role of CBP in Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Eunjin is originally from South Korea and likes cooking in her spare time. Her favorite quote is, “The only stupid question is the one not asked.”

Joe Sherrill, PhD
joseph.sherrill@cchmc.org

Joe earned his PhD from the University of Cincinnati and his BS from Ohio University. Joe's research is focused on identifying genetic variations within individuals with eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) through genome-wide association studies and SNP genotyping. Ultimately, the role of these candidate gene variants in EE progression and severity will be validated using in vitro biochemical analyses and in vivo models of EE.

Joe and his wife had their first baby in March and now average five hours of sleep a night. They also have two pugs named Georgie and LuLu. Outside of research, this ex-football star likes to work out, watch sports, and spend time with family.

Ting Wen, PhD, MD
tackycardia@yahoo.com

Ting is a post-doctorial fellow from Rutgers University/UMDNJ. While at Rutgers, he studied genetics of the opioid receptor and how chemokines and cytokines influence arthritis and other TH1/TH2 reactions. He hopes to continue his opioid receptor studies in Dr. Rothenberg's lab by looking at these receptors in the regulation of esoinophils and other GI disorders. When he is not working in the lab, he spends time outdoors and practices photography. His favorite quote is, "Chance favors the prepared mind." ~Louis Pasteur

Tom Lu, BS
tom.lu@cchmc.org

MD/PhD Student, Department of Molecular and Developmental Biology, University of Cincinnati

Tom works on the pathogenesis of asthma and eosinophilic esophagitis. In Tom's free time, he goes to movies, goes out to eat Chinese and Italian food, and plays cards. Tom pursues the highest ideals and ethical standards in the provision of health and research services for future ventures.

Hongyan Zhu, MD
hongyan.zhu@cchmc.org

PhD Student, Department of Molecular and Developmental Biology, University of Cincinnati

Hongyan has completed her MD in the Peoples Republic of China before arriving in the U.S. Hongyan’s research focuses on determining the role of GPRA in allergic and behavioral responses. She is kept busy at home doing various activities with her husband and son.

Karen Burwinkel, BS
karen.burwinkel@cchmc.org

Research Assistant II

Karen earned her BS from Northern Kentucky University where she also received the 2007 Kentucky Academy of Science Undergraduate Research Award and the 2008 Frank G. Brooks Award in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Her current research focus is on the role of TSG6 in Eosinophilic Diseases.  In the future, Karen plans to go on for a higher degree in either science or medicine. Outside of the lab, Karen likes to ski, hike, kayak and play cards.

Eric Cole, MS,
eric.cole@cchmc.org

Research Assistant III

Eric came to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital with his MS from the University of Toledo. His research is focused around NF-kB and MAP Kinase signaling and inhibitory receptors in eosinophilic-gastrointestinal diseases. Eric plans to go back to school in the future for Dentistry. In his spare time he likes to cook, run and wear orange shoes.

Melissa McBride, BS,
melissa.mcbride@cchmc.org

Research Assistant III

Melissa got her BS from Ohio State University. She has extensive lab experience at Ohio State, University of Cincinnati and now at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Allergy and Immunology. Her research focuses on the involvement of transcription factors in Eosinophilic diseases.

Melissa Mingler, MS,
melissa.mingler@cchmc.org

Laboratory Manager, Research Assistant IV

Mel was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. She received her BS in Biochemistry and Microbiology from Ohio University as well as her MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Michigan State University. Mel coordinates and assists in various aspects of the Rothenberg lab including placing/tracking orders, genotyping, running experiments and taking care of the mouse colony. In her spare time, she enjoys running, playing soccer, and camping.

Emily Stucke, BA
emily.stucke@cchmc.org

Research Assistant II

Emily Stucke recently received her BA in Microbiology with a minor in Molecular Biology from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She is responsible for processing DNA samples for the CCED database, as well as taking care of the transgenic mouse colonies. Away from the lab, she enjoys eating chocolate and practicing a mean punt out on the soccer field. She plans on going to graduate or medical school in the future.

J. Pablo Abonia, MD
pablo.abonia@cchmc.org

Assistant Professor

Dr. Abonia provides the bulk of the clinical allergy care for the eosinophilic patients. His research focuses on mining the research databanks (patient characteristics, tissue samples, RNA, and DNA) to elucidate the mechanisms, diagnosis and treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis. He is particularly interested in the role of Mast Cells in eosinophilic esophagitis.

Dr. Abonia received his BS, MS, and MD degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has had internships and residencies at the Children's Hospital of Buffalo and a fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Annette Ahrens, BA
annette.ahrens@cchmc.org

Clinical Research Coordinator II

Annette Ahrens is responsible for enrollment in clinical protocols, sample collection, research data entry, and regulatory issues. She received her bachelor's degree in elementary education from Wilmington College of Ohio in 2005. After completing her degree, she worked as a substitute teacher for Greener Elementary School in Mt. Healthy and Bowman Elementary in Lebanon, Ohio.

Prior to earning her degree, Annette did work helping children with multiple handicaps. From 1999 through 2005, she worked as a Muscular Dystrophy Cabin Leader and in 2003, she provided in-home palliative care for a non-ambulatory child with MD.

Bridget Buckmeier, BA
bridget.buckmeier@cchmc.org

Clinical Research Coordinator IV/ Clinical Research Manager

Bridget supervises enrollment in clinical protocols, sample collection, research data entry, and regulatory issues. She received her BA from Ohio University and is currently working on completing her MS.

Margaret Collins, MD
margaret.collins@cchmc.org

Professor of Pathology

James Franciosi, MD
james.franciosi@cchmc.org

Allison Greenberg, AB
Allison.Greenberg@cchmc.org

Clinical Research Coordinator II

Allison Greenberg received her bachelor's degree in molecular biology from Princeton University in 2006. After completing her degree, she completed a Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Training Fellowship at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a branch of the National Institutes of Health. Allison has also worked as an instructor for Mad Science of Cincinnati and has volunteered for Child Life here at CCHMC.

Tommie Grotjan, BS
tommie.grotjan@cchmc.org

Clinical Research Coordinator II

Tommie is the newest member of the CCED.  She received her bachelor's degree in Psychology and Neurosceince from Northern Kentucky University 2009. In her free time she enjoys playing softball, running and spending time with her family.  Tommie plans on attending graduate school in the future.

Sean Jameson, BA
sean.jameson@cchmc.org

Program Coordinator

Sean Jameson received his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Cincinnati in 1997. After completing his degree, Sean worked as a senior research assistant for the Biological Psychiatry Program with the Cincinnati Neuroscience Group at the University of Cincinnati Medical School.

He accepted a position as Clinical Research Coordinator IV for the Division of Allergy / Immunology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in 2002, then joined the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders team in 2005 as program coordinator.

Sean is an active volunteer in the community, having served as a group facilitator leader for parent groups and childrens groups at the Fernside Center for Grieving Children in Cincinnati.

Lawanda Bryant
lawanda.bryant@cchmc.org

Senior Administrative Assistant, Allergy and Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Lawanda received her BA from Tennesse State University. When she is not busy trying to help run the Allergy and Immunology Offices at Cincinnati Children's, she likes to read, shop, decorate and travel. Her motto in life is, "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you."

Amber Connelly
amber.connelly@cchmc.org

Grant Specialist, Allergy and Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Amber received her BS in Applied Management from National American University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Her "free time" is occupied by her three kids.

Kevin Titus, MBA
kevin.titus@cchmc.org

Kevin completed his BS at the University of Akron and MBA from the University of Illinois at Springfield. He joined CCHMC after 18 years with the American Red Cross where he was a CEO of a few local chapters prior to joining the Red Cross national headquarters staff and he still volunteers for national disaster assignments. Kevin and his wife have two young children in elementary school and in his spare time he enjoys swimming and making sawdust in his basement workshop.

PhD Student
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Postdoctoral
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

The role of Ron receptor tyrosine kinase in acute lung injury.

Masters of Public Health
Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Christine 'Jersey' Fischetti currently works in the enviromental epidemiology program at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. She is working on two statewide registries, one for ALS and one for lupus. Christine has also recently begun work on a pediatric asthma surveillance program for the department.

PhD/MD Student
University of Virginia

Lynn is studying the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus in human B lymphocytes.

Fellow, Allergy and Immunology
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Dr. DeBrosse is a clinical fellow who received his MD from the University of Cincinnati and his BS from Ohio State University. His research is focused on the long-term effects of Eosinophilic Esophagitis, the genetic basis, and pathways for drug development. Dr. DeBrosse spends all his time after work playing with his two boys and his brand new baby daughter.

Pediatric Resident
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Patty is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan and earned her PhD and MD from the University of Cincinnati. She is currently a Research Resident in Dr. Rothenberg's lab working on defining the role of novel eosinophil-associated genes, including the transcription factor Spi-C. Patty is the recipient of the AMA Foundation Seed Grant, Functional Genomics Pilot Project Grants, and the Functional Genomics Fellowship and Physician Scientist Training Program Scholar Awards from the University of Cincinnati. When she is not in clinic or on call, she is either in the lab, hanging out with her husband, 3 kids, and 2 cats or sleeping.

Assistant Professor
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine

Sam is currently teaching several different sections of Immunology at WVSOM including respiratory pathogens and allergies, gastrointestinal flora and parasites, and blood and tissue parasites. He is also the advisor to four student researchers on two of his research projects. One project is "The DARC side of Asthma" to examine the role of Duffy Antigen Receptor Chemokines (DARC) in asthma. Sam's second project is focusing on the migration of eosinophils across the blood-brain barrier in response to brain tumor growth. Sam currently lives in West Virginia with his wife and son. When he is not working he participates in a wide variety of sports, including Aussie Rules Football, martial arts, medieval re-enactments and hiking.

MD/PhD Student
Washington University

Elizabeth is currently studying the role of complement in mousepox infection.

Graduate Student
Miami University

After leaving the lab in 1998, I spent another year in research and then returned to school to complete my course requirements for a secondary education licensure in Biology and General Science. For over 5 years, I have taught Science at the high school and middle school level. Now, I am also pursuing a graduate degree in Ecology at Miami University and hope to conduct research and instruct as a faculty member of a research-based university.

Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Allergy and Immunology
Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Dr. Zimmermann's laboratory is mainly focused on deciphering mechanisms of allergic diseases, primarily asthma. Eosinophils are the hallmark cell of allergic inflammation, including asthma. The long-term goals of the laboratory are 1) to understand the mechanisms of eosinophilia with the ultimate aim of changing the outcome of eosinophil-mediated diseases and 2) to understand the mechanisms of lung inflammation, in homeostasis and allergic disease. A variety of approaches are undertaken, including animal modeling and ex vivo cell and molecular biology. Currently we are focused on molecular understanding of eosinophil survival in allergic inflammation and asthma; in other words, why are eosinophils recruited and why do they stay and lead to disease in some people and not in others.

Assistant Professor
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Anil Mishra, PhD, scientific objective includes elucidating the mechanism for the recruitment of inflammatory cells into the mucosal allergic tissue. Dr. Mishra is actively involved in managing a research program focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of eosinophilic esophageal and lower gastrointestinal tract inflammation.

Dr. Mishra's important contribution was to establish that eosinophils are the resident cell that home prenatally in the gastrointestinal tract and the gastrointestinal tract (esophagus to colon) constitutively expresses eotaxin (an eosinophil selective chemoattractant). These finding indicated that the esophagus is devoid of resident eosinophils at baseline and eotaxin is not sufficient for eosinophil trafficking and homing into the tissues. In an effort to further understand the mechanisms and significance of eosinophil accumulation in the lung and esophagus at disease states, Dr. Mishra prioritized his research to focus on lung inflammation associated eosinophilic esophagitis, aiming to gain insight into this poorly understood disease. He developed a murine model of asthma associated eosinophilic esophagitis. These findings implicated aeroallergens in the etiology of EE and suggested that esophageal eosinophilic inflammation is mechanistically associated with pulmonary inflammation.

Recently, he showed that CD4 T cells dependency is less important in the esophageal eosinophilic inflammation compared to the lung. Dr. Mishra's is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. He has over a 50 articles on molecular mechanisms of the pulmonary toxicity and allergic responses. His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health to understand the mechanism that induce eosinophilic esophagitis.

Assistant Professor
Director of Pediatric Airway Unit
Schneider's Children Medical Center of Israel
Tiqvam Israel

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Allergy and Immunology
Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Dr. Hogan's research group is focused on understanding the effect of allergic and non-allergic inflammatory reactions on intestinal function. In particular, we study the effects of inflammation (T-cell and innate) on gastrointestinal function in food-induced anaphylaxis and Inflammatory bowel diseases. Our approach integrates basic, translational and clinical research streams with advanced molecular and cellular biological techniques and state-of-the-art mouse models of disease. We hope that by delineating the cellular and molecular inflammatory cascades involved in food-induced anaphylaxis and IBD, we will be able to better understanding the functional consequences of intestinal inflammatory diseases. Furthermore, it is hoped that these studies will identify new therapeutics targets for the treatment and prevention of these debilitating diseases.

Assistant Professor
University of Wisconsin/Children's Hospital of Wisconsin

Dr. Noel is now the medical director of the Feeding and Swallowing Center, an interdisciplinary feeding disorder clinic that treats children with feeding disorders associated with complex medical conditions (including eosinophilic esoaphagitis).

The bulk of his time is occupied by clinical care; limited research endeavors include outcomes reasearch on pediatric feeding disorders and participation in industry-sponsored medication trials for eosinophilic esophagitis.

Assistant Professor
Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters
Norfolk, VA

Research Associate
Allergy and Immunology
Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Dr Eric Brandt main focus over the past few years has been on murine models of food allergy. He has developed a model of food–induced intestinal anaphylaxis (evidenced by acute diarrhea) that is mediated by IgE and mast cell release of serotonin and PAF. He has dissected the respective role of IL-4, IL-13 and theirs receptors in disease pathogenesis and collaborated with Dr Simon Hogan to uncover the contribution of IL-9 in intestinal mast cell accumulation and OVA-induced diarrhea. He has further demonstrated that experimental gastrointestinal allergy enhances pulmonary responses to specific and unrelated allergens. Dr Brandt is the recipient of the AAAAI interest section award and has received funding from the AHA and FAAN.

Section Chief, Division of Allergy and Immunology
Gunma Children's Medical Center
Shibukawa Gunma, Japan

Dr. Miguel Stein hails from Chile and Israel. Before joining the Rothenberg lab, he served as the Executive Director in the Allergy and Lung Diseases Clinic in Tzrifin, Israel. At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Dr. Stein preformed clinical and translational research in hypereosinophilic syndromes and eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders. Living by his personal motto, “Primum non nocere”, he has returned to Israel and improve the allergy clinic as well as build a center for eosinophilic disorders in order to treat the growing patient population suffering from EE.

Post Doc
Digestive Diseases Research Unit
Institut de Recerca, Barcelona, Spain

Maria was a post-doctoral fellow funded by the Spanish government (FIS 2005-09). During her time in Cincinnati she discovered great american ingredients for making the famous Spanish paella, tapas and other culinary specialties. Besides that, her research focus at Rothenberg’s lab was to study the generation of local humoral responses in the esophageal mucosa in Eosinophilic Esophagitis, by means of class switch recombination to IgE. Back in Spain, she studies the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying stress-related chronic intestinal inflammation at the Gastroenterology unit of the Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona. Her main focus is the role of mast cells and eosinophils in irritable bowel syndrome, a functional disorder associated with low-grade mucosal inflammation and with an increasing worldwide prevalence. She remains faithful to the principle of "work hard and party hard, but don’t forget to be happy".

Dr. Carlos Fernandez Gimenez hails from Salamanca, Spain. He received his MD from Clinical Hospital of Salamanca, specializing in Biochemistry. Before starting his fellowship with the Rothenberg lab, he worked extensively in the Flow ­­­ Cytometry Department at the University of Salamanca and Cancer Research Institute. His research in the Rothenberg lab focused on hypereosinophilic syndromes and murine modeling of the diseases, as well as phenotyping gastrointestinal eosinophils. Dr. Gimenez enjoys singing and playing his violin as well as traveling and immersing himself in new cities.

Division of Pediatrics, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Province

Zhihong was a visiting doctor from The People's Hospital of Guangxi Province in Nannig, Guangxi Province, China. In the Rothenberg lab, she worked on a project to study the microRNA regulation of Eotaxin expression. In her free time, she loves to shop, swim, and surf the internet.