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Gurjit Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD.

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Gurjit Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD

Title

Director, Institute for Personalized and Predictive Medicine

Email

gurjit.hershey@cchmc.org

Phone

513-636-7054

Fax

513-636-3310

Bio

Dr. Khurana Hershey is the Director of the Translational Research Program in Allergy and Asthma and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

She graduated with Highest Distinction, Honors in Biochemistry from the University of Iowa. She then matriculated at Washington University School of Medicine in the MD/PhD program. She conducted her PhD research under the mentoring of Dr. Robert D. Shreiber and included studies on the characterization of the interferon-gamma receptor. Her research was recognized and she was given the prestigious honor of being named a Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Fellow. After completing a three-year residency in pediatrics at St. Louis Children's Hospital Medical Center, Dr. Hershey went on to complete a fellowship in allergy/immunology at St. Louis Children's Hospital Medical Center. During the fellowship program, Dr. Hershey did post-doctoral research with Dr. Talal Chatila at Washington University School of Medicine. She was awarded a GlaxoWellcome Allergy Research Training Grant for this work.

After completing the fellowship program Dr. Hershey came to the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, one of the largest pediatric medical and research centers in the United States. She is actively involved in directing a funded research program focused on the genetics and genomics of allergic inflammation with a focus on cytokine biology and signal transduction. She is actively involved in clinical care as well.

As part of her role as Director of Center for Translational Research in Asthma and Allergy, Dr. Khurana Hershey has developed a comprehensive database of allergic children seen in allergy and asthma clinics at CCHMC. Extensive phenotypic information including clinical, demographic, and quality of life data is available for nearly 2000 children and has been entered into a comprehensive database. DNA samples are available on over 98% of these children. This registry serves as a basis for multiple projects and grants.

Dr. Khurana Hershey is an elected member of the Society for Pediatric Research and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. She is a recognized leader in the allergy field and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and has been asked to serve on several NIH study sections and focus groups. She was recently named One of the Five Leading Women in Healthcare in the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Area by Women's Business Cincinnati Magazine, and nominated Outstanding Woman at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Her other honors include being awarded the Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Award and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of American Investigator Award. Her research has been supported by numerous sources including the National Institutes of Health, March of Dimes and the American Heart Association.

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 One of the Five Leading Women in Healthcare in the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Area by Women's Business Cincinnati Magazine, 2005
  • Nominated Outstanding Woman at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 2004
  • Pharmacia Allergy Research Foundation Award, Honourable Mention, 2004.
  • Nominated Outstanding Woman at CCHMC, 2004.
  • Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Award, 2000.
  • American Heart Association Beginning Grant-in-Aid, 2000.
  • Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America Investigator Award, 1999.
  • Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Award, 1999.
  • Pharmacia Allergy Research Foundation Fellowship, 1999.
  • GlaxoWellcome Basic / Clinical Research Award, 1998.
  • GlaxoWellcome Allergy Research Training Grant, 1996.
  • Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Fellow, 1992.
  • Presidential Awards Competition International Leukocyte Biology Meeting (Crete, Greece), 1990.
  • Recipient, Training Grant, National Eye Institute, 1989.
  • Honors Certificate of Highest Academic Achievement, University of Iowa, 1985.
  • University of Iowa President's List, 1985.
  • Ernest R. Johnson Memorial Prize, 1984-1985.
  • Student Research Fellowship, University of Iowa, 1984-1985.
  • Dean's Scholarship, University of Iowa, 1984-1985.
  • University of Iowa Foundation Tuition Grant, 1984-1985.
  • University of Iowa Dean's List, 1983-1985.
  • University Women's Club Scholarship, University of Iowa, 1983-1984.
  • Phi Beta Kappa, University of Iowa, 1983.
  • Phi Eta Sigma Freshman Honors Society, 1982.

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

Jesus R. Guajardo, Kathleen W. Schleifer, Richard M. Ruddy, Bruce J. Aronow, Marsha Wills-Karp, and Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey. Gene Expression Profiles in Respiratory Epithelium during Stable and Acute Childhood Asthma.J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 115(2):243-251, 2005.

Jesus R. Guajardo, Michael O. Daines, Marsha Wills-Karp, Bruce J. Aronow, and Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey. Gene expression profiles in childhood asthma: differentiating between stable and acute asthma.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 116(3): 710-711, 2005.

Michael Daines, Yasuhiro Tabata, Bradley A. Walker, Weiguo Chen, Manoj Warrier, Saswata Basu, and Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey. Level of Expression of Iterleukin-13 Receptor Alpha 2 Impacts Receptor Distribution and IL-13 Signaling.J Immunol. 176:7495-7501, 2006.

Jocelyn M. Biagini, Grace K. Lemasters, Patrick H. Ryan, Linda Levin, Tiina Reponen, David I. Bernstein, Manuel Villareal, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, Jeffrey Burkle and James Lockey. Environmental risk factors of rhinitis in early infancy.Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.17(4): 278-284, 2006.

Hiroko Saito Akei, Eric B. Brandt, Anil Mishra, Richard T. Strait, Fred D. Finkleman, Manoj R. Warrier, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, Carine Blanchard, and Marc E. Rothenberg. Epicutaneous aeroallergen exposure induces systemic Th2 immunity that predisposes to allergic nasal responses.Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 118(1):62-69, 2006.

Grace K. Lemasters, Kimberly Wilson, Linda Levin, Jocelyn Biagini, Patrick H. Ryan, James Lockey, MD; Sherry Stanforth, Stephanie Maier, RT; Jun Yang, Jeff Burkle, Manuel Villareal, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, David I Bernstein. High prevalence of aeroallergen sensitization among infants of atopic parents.J Peds 149:505-11. 2006.

Paloma Campo, Harpinder K Kalra, Linda Levin, Tiina Reponen, Rolanda Olds, Zana L Lummus, Seung-Hyun Cho, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, James Lockey, Manuel Villareal, Shelley Stanforth, Grace LeMasters, David I Bernstein. Influence of Dog Ownership and High Endotoxin on Wheezing and Atopy During Infancy.Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 118(6): 1271-8, 2006.

Manoj Warrier, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey. Genetics of Asthma: Personalizing Health Care. U.S. Respiratory Care 2006.

Stephen J. Vesper, Craig McKinstry, Richard A. Haugland, Yulia Iossifova, Grace LeMasters, Linda Levin, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, Manuel Lillareal, David I. Bernstein, James Lockey, and Tiina Reponen. Relative Moldiness Index as a Predicor of Childhood Respiratory Illness.Journal of Exposure Science And Environmental Epidemiology. 17; 88-94, 2007.

Michael O. Daines, Weiguo Chen, Yasuhiro Tabata, Bradley A. Walker, Aaron M. Gibson, J. Alexander Masino, Manoj R. Warrier, Saswata Basu, Cori Daines, Sally E. Wenzel, and Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey. Allergen-dependent solubilization of interleukin-13 receptor alpha-2 reveals a novel mechanism to regulate allergy.J. Allergy and Clin Immunol. 119; 375-83, 2007.

Wei Zhong, Linda Levin, Tiina Reponen, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, Atin Adhikari, Grace Lemasters, and Rakesh Shukla. Ambient Aeroallergen Concentration and Pediatric Asthma Visits in Cincinnati Area.Science of the Total Environment. 370; 330-336, 2006.

Yasuhiro Tabata, Weiguo Chen, Manoj R. Warrier, Aaron M. Gibson, Michael O. Daines, and Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey. Allergen-driven Alternative Splicing of Interleukin-13 Receptor Alpha 2 Yields Distinct Membrane and Soluble Forms.J. Immunol. In Press.

Patrick H. Ryan, Grace K. LeMasters, Pratim Biswas, Linda Levin, Shaohua Hu, Mark Lindsey, David I. Bernstein, James Lockey, Manuel Villareal, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, Sergey A. Grinshpun. A comparison proximity and land use regression traffic exposure models and wheezing in infants.Environmental Health Perspectives. 115: 278-284, 2007.

Weiguo Chen, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey. STAT Signals in Allergic Disease.J. Allergy and Clin Immunol. 119; 529-41, 2007.

Kwon-Sik Park, Thomas R. Korfhagen, Michael D. Bruno, Joseph A. Kitzmiller, Huajing Wan, Susan E. Wert, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, Gang Chen, Jeffrey A. Whitsett. Spdef regulates goblet cell hyperplasia in the airway epithelium.J Clin Invest. 117(4): 978-988, 2007.

Michelle D. Stevenson, Stacey Sellins, Kathy Schroer, Jayanta Gupta, Emilie Grube, and Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey. Aeroallergen Sensitization in Healthy Children: Ethnic and Socioeconomic Correlates.J Peds. In Press.

Yulia Iossifova, Tiina Reponen, Michael Daines, C. Crawford, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey. Comparison of two analytical methods for detecting (1-3)--D-glucan in pure fungal cultures and in home dust samples.Applied and Environmental Microbiology. In Press.

Yasuhiro Tabata, Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey. IL-13 Receptor Isoforms: Breaking Through the Complexity.Current Allergy and Asthma Reports. In Press.

Professional Organization Memberships

Teaching

1. 5-10% of my time per year is spent in teaching activities.

2. Lectures and Grand Rounds:
Course Lectures:

  • Section Coordinator for Foundations of Immunology II course –5 lectures on Cytokines, Receptors and Signal Transduction
  • Course Director, Topics in Immunology course, Winter quarter 2006, Topic: "Cytokine Receptors and Signaling Mechanisms"
  • 2 lectures on "The Genetics of Asthma" in the Genetics of Complex Diseases graduate course at the University of Cincinnati (Course Director – Ranjan Deka, Ph.D.)
  • 2 lectures on Cytokine/Chemokine/Receptors in the Introductory Immunology Course at the University of Cincinnati (Course Directors– Joan Cook-Mills, Ph.D. and John Monaco, Ph.D.)


Grand Rounds:

  • Pediatric Grand Rounds entitled "Risk Factors and Primary Prevention of Allergic Diseases", on June 27, 2000 at CCHMC.
  • Pediatric Grand Rounds entitled "Genetics of Asthma", on October 20, 1998 at CCHMC.
  • Fellows Grand Rounds entitled "Role of the IL-4 Receptor in the Development Allergic Disease" on June 16, 1998.
  • Pulmonary Grand Rounds at the University of Cincinnati entitled "IL-4 Receptor Alpha Polymorphisms: Genetics and Biology" on June 4, 2001.
  • Pediatric Grand Rounds at St. Louis Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital entitled "Asthma: Lessons Learned and New Directions" on February 11, 2004.
  • Pediatric Grand Rounds – Title: "Food Allergy: An Art to a Science" CCHMC, May 4, 2004.
  • Allergy Grand Rounds, National Jewish Medical and Research Center (April 2004); Title: "IL-4 and IL-13 Signals on the Road to Asthma"


Other lectures:

  • Presented Hematology/Oncology Conference, CHMC entitled "Role of the IL-4 Receptor in the Development Allergic Disease", on January 12, 1998.
  • Presented Cystic Fibrosis Conference – CHMC, January 14, 1998.
    Title: Identification of a Novel IL-4 Receptor Alpha Allele and its Role in the Development of Atopy.
  • Presented a CME session for community physicians on Sept. 20, 2000 entitled "Contemporary Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management of Asthma in Children and Adolescents".
  • Organized and presented at a CME Saturday Seminar Series on May 20, 2000 entitled "Overview of Allergy: Sneezing, Wheezing, and Bees".
  • Presented Molecular Medicine Seminar entitled "IL-4 and IL-13 Signaling Pathways on the Road to Asthma" on November 8, 1999.
  • Presented the Combined Research Conference Rheumatology/Immunology on November 3, 1999.
  • Presented Combined University of Cincinnati Immunology Lab meeting on July 7, 1999.
  • Presented Molecular and Developmental Research Seminar on "IL-4 Signaling and Stat regulation" on February 20, 2002.
  • Invited Guest Speaker University of Iowa Regional CME Conference "Current Topics in Allergy & Clinical Immunology" (October 2005)
    -Title #1: Update on the Genetics of Atopy
    -Title #2: Personalized Medicine
    - Presented at John Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center (April 2006)
    -Title #1: Allergic Inflammation: Gene or Environment
    -Title #2: IL-13R2: Modulating the Allergic Response

3. Preceptorships: 10% of time

  • *Erik D. White, M.D. - CHMCC Postdoctoral Fellow
  • *Kim Risma, M.D., Ph.D. - CHMCC Resident; currently an A/I fellow
  • Doug McDonald, M.D., Ph.D. - CHMCC Resident
  • *Lesley Burrell - UC Medical Student – Her research was presented at the U.C. Medical Student Research Poster Session 10/99, and her poster won first prize and was selected to be presented at a National Medical Student Forum.
  • Mark Schroeder - UC Medical Student – His research was presented at the U.C. Medical Student Research Poster Session in 10/00 and his poster won 3rd prize.
  • *Shady El-Zayaty - UC Medical Student – His research was presented at the U.C. Medical Student Research Poster Session in October 2000 and his poster won 2nd prize.
  • Steve Sutton, M.D. - CHMCC Resident/ Fellow
  • Clinical Research Coordinator: Tia Patterson, Emilie Grube (past)
  • *§Michael Daines, M.D. - Instructor in Allergy/Immunology
  • *Research Assistants – Lillian Rosa-Rosa (past), Ryan Andrews (past), Christie Cunningham (past), Angela Chrisman (past), Megan Mehicic (past), Mark Ericksen (present), Peter Zornes (past), Nanette Huey (past), Aaron Gibson (present), and Greg Stroup (past).
  • Theresa Bacigalupo – 2001 Summer research fellow student through the Developmental Biology Program at CHMC
  • Maryse Amin – 2001 summer research student from Miami University, Oxford, OH
  • David Bargnesi – UC Medical Student
  • *Lynnette Mendoza – Developmental Biology Graduate Student
  • *Jesus Guajardo, M.D. – CHMCC Postdoctoral
  • *Weiguo Chen, Ph.D. – Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Louis Acero – Developmental Biology Graduate Student (rotating)
  • *Jessica Woo – Epidemiology PhD Student.
  • §Michelle Stevenson – Emergency Dept. Fellow and Epidemiology M.S. student (thesis work)
  • *Saswata Basu, Ph.D. – Postdoctoral Fellow
  • *Jayanta Gupta – Molecular Epidemiology and Genetics Ph.D. student (thesis work)
  • Scott Nash, M.D. – CHMCC Resident Research Project
  • Mandeep Gupta – 2003 Summer research fellow, UC Medical Student
  • *Alexander Masino, Ph.D. – Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Kathy Schroer – Developmental Biology Graduate Student (PhD candidate)
  • Stacey Sellins – 2003 Midwestern University Physician Assistant Program Student (rotating)
  • Salma Musaad - Molecular Epidemiology and Genetics Ph.D. student (thesis work)
  • §*Manoj Warrier : Instructor in Allergy/Immunology
  • Andrew Smith – Allergy and Immunology Fellow
  • *Yasuhiro Tabata, Ph.D. – Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Kelly Brauer- CCHMC Allergy/Immunology Fellow
  • Berkeley Bennett - Assistant Professor in Emergency Medicine
  • Summer Students - *Brad Walker, Sarah Potts, Allyson Hamlin, Navpreet Lehki, Pratima Shanbhag
  • Co-op Students – Mark Lindsey
    (*Research activities in my laboratory under my guidance have resulted in > 1 publication. § Research activities in my laboratory under my guidance have resulted in an external grant award.)

4. Other Teaching Responsibilities:

  • University of Cincinnati Medical Students: Allergy/Immunology clinic rotation.
  • Resident/Fellows: I am involved in Resident/Fellow teaching, both in the Allergy/Immunology clinic, and during my month as Allergy Attending. During my month of service, I provide teaching to the House Staff on Allergy/Immunology problems individually and in small groups. In addition, several of the pediatric residents have rotated through my laboratory.
  • Post-doctoral Research Fellows: I have three post-doctoral fellows working in my laboratory on a basic science projects under my supervision.
  • Other Health Professionals: Nurse Education in our clinic and CME activities for community health professionals
    - Presented a CME session for community physicians on Sept. 20, 2000 entitled "Contemporary Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management of Asthma in Children and Adolescents".
    - Organized and presented at a CME Saturday Seminar Series on May 20, 2000 entitled "Overview of Allergy: Sneezing, Wheezing, and Bees".
    - Invited Speaker at a National CME conference entitled "Child and Adolescent Asthma: Current and Future"
    - Title of my presentation: State-of-the-art review of inflammation and asthma

5. Mentoring/Advising:

  • Medical students – Kathryn Kermode, Lesley Burrell, Mark Schroeder, Shady El-Zayaty, Saulius Girnius
  • A/I Fellow – Andrew Smith
  • Resident s – Doug McDonald, Scott Nash
  • Past A/I Fellow – Erik White, Kim Risma, Steve Sutton, Jesus Guajardo
  • Past Research Assistants – Lillian Rosa-Rosa, Ryan Andrews, Christie Cunningham , Angela Chrisman, Nanette Huey and Peter Zornes
  • Current Research Assistants –Mark Ericksen and Aaron Gibson
  • Past Clinical Research Coordinators – Emilie Grube
  • Clinical Research Coordinator – Tia Patterson
  • Michael Daines, M.D. - Instructor in Allergy/Immunology
  • Post-doctoral Fellows-Weiguo Chen, Ph.D., Yasuhiro Tabata, PhD
  • Past Post-doctoral Fellow – Alex Masino, PhD
  • Past Epidemiology Graduate Student- Jessica Woo
  • Current Epidemiology Graduate Student- Jayanta Gupta, Salma Musaad, Jocelyn Biagnini
  • CHMC Emergency Dept. junior faculty- Michelle Stevenson, M.D., Berkeley Bennett, M.D.
  • Developmental Biology Graduate Student- Kathy Schroer

6. Thesis Committees:

  • Patricia Fulkerson – PSTP (Physician Scientist Training Program) M.D., Ph.D. Student (defense 5/05)
  • Wei Zhong – Molecular Epidemiology and Biostatistics M.S. student
  • Jayanta Gupta – Molecular Epidemiology and Genetics Ph.D. student
  • Michelle Stevenson, M.D. – Molecular Epidemiology M.S. student
  • Steve Sutton, M.D. – Molecular Epidemiology M.S. student
  • Andrew Smith, M.D. – Molecular Epidemiology M.S. student
  • Salma Musaad M.D. - Molecular Epidemiology and Genetics Ph.D. student
  • Yulia Iossifova - Ph.D. student
  • Kathy Schroer – Molecular Developmental Biology Program, Ph.D. student
  • Gang Chen – Molecular Developmental Biology Program, Ph.D. student

7. Training Programs: I am on the executive faculty of the following training programs

  • Physician Scientist Training Program – recently awarded NIH funding and recognized as an MSTP program
  • ImmunobiologyGraduate Training Program
  • Molecular Developmental Biology Graduate Training Program
  • Molecular Epidemiology in Children's Environmental Health Training Program

Special Interests

Asthma; allergic rhinitis; food allergy; urticaria

Related Areas

This person works in these other areas at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center:

Cincinnati Children's Hospital