A photo of Lisa Martin.

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

513-636-1244

513-636-7509

Biography & Affiliation

Biography

I am a statistical geneticist, which means it is my job to make sense of the large volumes of genetic data being produced. My interest in genetics started with my first introduction to the field in high school. Because I was always good at math, I was excited to learn about statistical genetics, where I could marry my two interests.

Here at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, my primary focus is the genetic contributions to variation in phenotypes (characteristics of people). Rather than look at a single characteristic, I focus on many, including inappropriate heart development, allergic conditions (including asthma and eosinophilic esophagitis), and how people respond to medications.

My approach to variation in phenotypes is to consider multiple factors jointly. This is important because we often find that a single genetic variant does not explain outcomes. Rather, the context in which a gene variant occurs (other genetic variants, environmental factors) is important. My research focuses on identifying combinations of factors that best explain phenotypes. This work has resulted in a better understanding of heart development and why certain individuals develop asthma or eosinophilic esophagitis.

My role at Cincinnati Children’s extends beyond my research. I am proud to support the next generation of researchers and have mentored many students, trainees and faculty throughout my career.

Research Interests

Statistical genetics; genetics of heart malformations; pharmacogenetics; genetics of allergic disorders

Academic Affiliation

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Research Divisions

Human Genetics

Education

BA: University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 1991.

MA: University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 1993. 

PhD: (with Honors) University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 1999.

Post-doctoral fellow: Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, TX, 2002.

Publications

Selected Publication

Genetic Causes of Cardiomyopathy in Children: First Results From the Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Genes Study. Ware, SM; Wilkinson, JD; Tariq, M; Schubert, JA; Sridhar, A; Colan, SD; Shi, L; Canter, CE; Hsu, DT; Webber, SA; et al. Journal of the American Heart Association. 2021; 10.

Sensitization to peanut, egg or pets is associated with skin barrier dysfunction in children with atopic dermatitis. Sherenian, MG; Kothari, A; Biagini, JM; Kroner, JW; Baatyrbek kyzy, A; Johannson, E; Atluri, G; He, H; Martin, LJ; Khurana Hershey, GK. Clinical and Experimental Allergy. 2021; 51:666-673.

CYP2D6 Phenotype Influences Aripiprazole Tolerability in Pediatric Patients with Mood Disorders. Jallaq, SA; Verba, M; Strawn, JR; Martin, LJ; DelBello, MP; Ramsey, LB. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2021; 31:56-62.

Building a Population Representative Pediatric Biobank: Lessons Learned From the Greater Cincinnati Childhood Cohort. Martin, LJ; Murrison, LB; Butsch Kovacic, M. Frontiers in Public Health. 2021; 8.

Very early onset eosinophilic esophagitis is common, responds to standard therapy, and demonstrates enrichment for CAPN14 genetic variants. Lyles, JL; Martin, LJ; Shoda, T; Collins, MH; Trimarchi, MP; He, H; Kottyan, LC; Mukkada, VA; Rothenberg, ME. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2021; 147:244-254.e6.

Disease-associated KIF3A variants alter gene methylation and expression impacting skin barrier and atopic dermatitis risk. Stevens, ML; Zhang, Z; Johansson, E; Ray, S; Jagpal, A; Ruff, BP; Kothari, A; He, H; Martin, LJ; Ji, H; et al. Nature Communications. 2020; 11.

Thyroid Function Screening in Children and Adolescents With Mood and Anxiety Disorders. Luft, MJ; Aldrich, SL; Poweleit, E; Prows, CA; Martin, LJ; DelBello, MP; Keeshin, BR; Ramsey, LB; Strawn, JR. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2019; 80.

Genetic Influences on Behavioral Outcomes After Childhood TBI: A Novel Systems Biology-Informed Approach. Kurowski, BG; Treble-Barna, A; Pilipenko, V; Wade, SL; Yeates, KO; Taylor, HG; Martin, LJ; Jegga, AG. Frontiers in Genetics. 2019; 10.

A Pediatric Asthma Risk Score to better predict asthma development in young children. Biagini Myers, JM; Schauberger, E; He, H; Martin, LJ; Kroner, J; Hill, GM; Ryan, PH; LeMasters, GK; Bernstein, DI; Lockey, JE; et al. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2019; 143:1803-1810.e2.

Role of Segregation for Variant Discovery in Multiplex Families Ascertained by Probands With Left Sided Cardiovascular Malformations. Martin, LJ; Pilipenko, V; Benson, DW. Frontiers in Genetics. 2019; 9.