Division Director

Gurjit Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD

Title

Director, Division of Asthma Research

Appointment

Professor of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Email

gurjit.hershey@cchmc.org

Phone

513-636-7054

Fax

513-636-1657

Bio

Dr. Khurana Hershey received a B.S. degree from the University of Iowa, and M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Washington University School of Medicine. After completing pediatric residency and an allergy/immunology fellowship at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Dr. Khurana Hershey joined the faculty at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She now directs the Division of Asthma Research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and is the Associate Director of the Physician Scientist Training Program at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

In addition to her clinical duties, Dr. Khurana Hershey directs an NIH-funded research program focused on the genetics and genomics of allergic inflammation with a focus on cytokines and signal transduction. She is the Principal Investigator of an NIH-funded Asthma and Allergic Diseases Cooperative Research Center (AADCRC) and serves on the AADCRC steering committee. This Center is focused on characterizing epithelial genes in allergic diseases, and delineating the mechanisms by which they contribute to the allergic response. She is also a co-investigator of the NIEHS-funded Cincinnati Childhood Asthma and Air Pollution Study, a birth cohort study designed to elucidate gene:environment interactions relevant to the development of allergic disease in early life. In addition to her research contributions, she is an outstanding clinician and teacher/mentor. Several of her trainees now hold academic faculty positions.

Dr. Khurana Hershey is a fellow of the American Pediatric Society and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. She serves on the Executive Council of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology Program Committee and is the Chair of the Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Epidemiology Committee. She serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and on a regular NIH study section. She was recently named One of the Five Leading Women in Healthcare in the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Area, and Outstanding Woman at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Credentials

BS: University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA, 1985.

MD, PhD: Washington University School of Medicine; St. Louis, MO, 1992.

Residency: Pediatrics; St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO, 1992-1995.

Fellowship: Allergy / Immunology, St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO, 1995-1997.

Awards and Honors

Named Kindervelt Endowed Professor, 2008
Named the recipient of the Elliot F. Ellis Lectureship, Honorary AAAAI Lectureship for recognition of your outstanding service to the specialty of allergy and immunology, 2008
Nominated for 2008 Women’s Involvement in the AAAAI Special Recognition Award, 2007

Research

Genetics of allergy and asthma; cytokines; and signaling pathways

Research Grants and Contracts

"Epthelial Genes in Allergic Inflammation," U19AI70235-01, NIH/NIAID, 07/01/06-06/30/2011, PI.

"Biology of IL-13 Receptor Alpha 2," NGA: 1 R01 AI58157-01, NIH/NIAID, 01/01/04-12/31/08, PI.

"Childhood Atopy: Gene-Environment Interactions," R01 ES11170-01, NIH/NIEHS, 10/01/06-09/30/09, Subcontract PI.

"Role of IL-13 Receptor Alpha 2 in Allergic Inflammation," PPG P01HL076383, NIH/NHLBI, 7/1/04-6/31/09, Project 4 Principal Investigator.

"IL-13 Regulation of Mucus Production
PPG PI: Marsha Wills Karp "IL-13 in Experimental Asthma," PPG P01HL076383, NIH/NHLBI, 7/1/04-6/31/09, Project 1 Co-investigator.

"Unique effects of IL-13 in Asthma:Mechanistic Analysis," PPG P01HL076383, NIH/NHLBI, 7/1/04-6/31/09, Project 2 Co-investigator.

Publications, Most Recent

Musaad S, Patterson T, Ericksen M, Lindsey M, Dietrich K, Succop P, Khurana Hershey GK. Comparison of Anthropometric Measures of Obesity in Childhood Asthma.J Allergy Clin Immunol 2009 (In Press).

Wang N, Khurana Hershey GK. Pediatric Pharmacogenomics and Gene Therapy. In: Handbook of Genomics and the Family, New York: Springer Medical Publishing Division, 2009.

Iossifova Y, Reponen T, Ryan P, Levin L, Bernstein D, Lockey J, Khurana Hershey GK, Villareal M, LeMasters G. Mold Exposure during Infancy as a Strong Predictor of Potential Asthma Development.Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2009;109:131-37.

Metz KA, Khurana Hershey GK, Lierl MB, Seidu L, Assa’ad AH. Successful Administration of Cytarabine in a 16 month old with AML and Cytarabine Syndrome.Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2009;102(2):173-4.

Kramer EL, Mushaben EM, Pastura PA, Acciani TH, Deutsch GH, Khurana Hershey GK, Korfhagen TR, Hardie WD, Whitsett JA, Le Cras TD. Egr-1 Suppresses EGFR-Mediated Airway Hyperresponsiveness and Lung Remodeling in Mice.Am J Resp Cell Mol Biol 2009 Feb 2. (Epub ahead of print).

Schroer KT, Biagini JM, Ryan PH, LeMasters GK, Bernstein DI, Villareal M, Lockey JE, Reponen T, Grinshpun S, Khurana Hershey GK. Interactions Between Oxidative Stress and Glutathione S-1 transferase P1 on Persistent Wheezing in a Birth Cohort.J Pediatr 2009;154(3):401-8.e1.

Khurana Hershey GK. Asthma. In: Rudolph AM, et al. (editor) Rudolph’s Pediatrics, 22nd Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division, 2008.

Chen W, Tabata Y, Gibson AM, Daines MO, Warrier MR, Wills-Karp M, Khurana Hershey GK. Matrix metalloproteinase-8 contributes to solubilization of interleukin-13 receptor alpha-2 in vivo.J Allergy Clin Immunol 2008;122(3):625-32.

Brandt EB, Mingler MK, Stevenson M, Wang N, Khurana Hershey GK, Whitsett JA, Rothenberg ME. Surfactant Protein-D alters Allergic Lung Responses in Mice and Man.J Allergy Clin Immunol 2008;121:1140-7.

Gupta J, Grube E, Ericksen M, Stevenson M, Lucky AW, Sheth A, Assa’ad A, Khurana Hershey GK. Intrinsically Defective Skin Barrier Function in Children with Atopic Dermatits Correlates with Disease Severity.J Allergy Clin Immuol 2008;121(3):725-30.

Warrier M, Khurana Hershey GK. Asthma Genetics: Personalizing Medicine. J Asthma 2008;45:257-64.

Khodoun M, Lewis C, Yang J-I, Orekov T, Potter C, Wynn T, Mentink-Kane M, Khurana Hershey GK, Wills-Karp M, Finkelman F. Differences in expression, affinity and function of soluble(s) IL-4Ra and sIL-13a2 suggest opposite effects on allergic responses.J Immunol 2007;179:6429-38. Correction 2008;180:664.

Smith AM, Bernstein DI, LeMasters GK, Huey NL, Ericksen M, Villareal M, Lockey J, Khurana Hershey GK. Environmental Tobacco Smoke and IL-4 Polymorphism (C-589T) Gene:Environment Interaction Increases Risk of Wheezing in African-American Infants: the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study (CCAAPS). J Pediatr 2008;152:709-15.

Iossifova Y, Reponen T, Daines M, Crawford C, Khurana Hershey GK. Comparison of two analytical methods for detecting (1-3)--D-glucan in pure fungal cultures and in home dust samples.The Open Allergy Journal 2008;1:26-34.

Park K-S, Korfhagen TR, Bruno MD, Kitzmiller JA, Wan H, Wert SE, Khurana Hershey GK, Chen G, Whitsett JA. Spdef regulates goblet cell hyperplasia in the airway epithelium. J Clin Invest 2007;117(4):978-88.

Chen W, Khurana Hershey GK. STAT Signals in Allergic Disease. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2007;119:529-41.

Ryan PH, LeMasters GK, Biswas P, Levin L, Hu S, Lindsey M, Bernstein DI, Lockey J, Villareal M, Khurana Hershey GK, Grinshpun SA. A comparison proximity and land use regression traffic exposure models and wheezing in infants. Environmental Health Perspectives 2007;115:278-84.