Allergy and Immunology

Eosinophilic and mast cell disorders; immunodeficiency

Biography

J. Pablo Abonia, MD, provides the bulk of the clinical allergy care for patients with eosinophilic disease. He is currently involved in a multicenter clinical research trial of anti-IL5 (reslizumab) for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis. 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, and he is the interim director of the Registry for Eosinophilic Disorders (REGID). He is particularly interested in the role of mast cells in eosinophilic esophagitis.

MD: University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 1997.

Residency: Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 2000.

Certification: American Board of Pediatrics, 2001; American Board of Allergy and Immunology, 2003.

Abonia JP, Rothenberg ME. Eosinophilic esophagitis: rapidly advancing insights. Annu Rev Med. 2012;63:421-34.

Spergel JM, Rothenberg ME, Collins MH, Furuta GT, Markowitz JE, Fuchs G 3rd, O'Gorman MA, Abonia JP, Young J, Henkel T, Wilkins HJ, Liacouras CA. Reslizumab in children and adolescents with eosinophilic esophagitis: results of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Feb;129(2):456-63.

Lu TX, Sherrill JD, Wen T, Plassard AJ, Besse JA, Abonia JP, Franciosi JP, Putnam PE, Eby M, Martin LJ, Aronow BJ, Rothenberg ME. MicroRNA signature in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis, reversibility with glucocorticoids, and assessment as disease biomarkers. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Apr;129(4):1064-75.

Henderson CJ, Abonia JP, King EC, Putnam PE, Collins MH, Franciosi JP, Rothenberg ME. Comparative dietary therapy effectiveness in remission of pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Jun;129(6):1570-8.

Franciosi JP, Hommel KA, DeBrosse CW, Greenberg AB, Greenler AJ, Abonia JP, Rothenberg ME, Varni JW. Quality of life in paediatric eosinophilic oesophagitis: what is important to patients? Child Care Health Dev. 2012 Jul;38(4):477-83.

Franciosi JP, Hommel KA, Greenberg AB, Debrosse CW, Greenler AJ, Abonia JP, Rothenberg ME, Varni JW. Development of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Eosinophilic Esophagitis Module items: qualitative methods. BMC Gastroenterol. 2012 Sep 25;12(1):135.

Abonia JP, Putnam PE. Mepolizumab in eosinophilic disorders. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2011 Jul;7(4):411-7.

Debrosse CW, Franciosi JP, King EC, Buckmeier Butz BK, Greenberg AB, Collins MH, Abonia JP, Assa'ad A, Putnam PE, Rothenberg ME. Long-term outcomes in pediatric-onset esophageal eosinophilia. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011 Jul;128(1):132-8.

Abonia JP, Castells M. Drug allergy in pediatric patients. Pediatr Ann. 2011 Apr;40(4):200-4.

Franciosi JP, Hommel KA, DeBrosse CW, Greenberg AB, Greenler AJ, Abonia JP, Rothenberg ME, Varni JW. Development of a validated patient-reported symptom metric for pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis: qualitative methods. BMC Gastroenterol. 2011 Nov 18;11:126.

Amal H. Assa'ad, MD Associate Director, Division of Allergy and Immunology 513-636-6771 amal.assa'ad@cchmc.org

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Amal H. Assa'ad, MD

Associate Director, Division of Allergy and Immunology

Director of Clinical Services, Division of Allergy and Immunology

Academic Affiliations

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Phone 513-636-6771

Fax 513-636-5835

Email amal.assa'ad@cchmc.org

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Clinical Interests

Food allergy; asthma; vaccine allergy; immunodeficiencies

MBBCh (MD): Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, 1978.

MS: Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, 1982.

Residency: Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, Michigan State University, Hurley Medical Center, Flint, Mich.; Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, 1990-1992.

Fellowship: Allergy/Clinical Immunology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, 1986-1987; Allergy/Clinical Immunology, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1992-1995.

Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, 1992; American Board of Pediatrics, 1992, re-certification 2008 (fulfilling Maintenance of Certification to December 2018); American Board of Allergy and Immunology, 1995, re-certification 2015 - 2025.

Assa’ad AH, Bahna S. Updating Knowledge about Food Allergy: Critical Needs for the Practicing Clinician. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2016;117(5):451.

Khorasanizadeh M, Eskian M, Assa’ad AH, Camargo CA Jr, Rezaei N. Efficacy and Safety of Benralizumab, a Monoclonal Antibody against IL-5Rα, in Uncontrolled Eosinophilic Asthma. Int Rev Immunol. 2016;35(4):294-311.

Fiocchi A, Dahdah L, Bahna SL, Mazzina O, Assa’ad A. Doctor, When Should I Feed Solid Foods to My Infant? Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 Aug;16(4):404-11.

Hartman H, Dodd C, Rao M, DeBlasio D, Labowsky C, D’Souza S, Lenkauskas S, Roeser E, Heffernan A, Assa’ad A. Parental Timing of Allergenic Food Introduction in Urban and Suburban Populations. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2016 Jul;117(1):56-60.e2.

Nanda M, LeMasters G, Levin L, Rothenberg M, Assa'ad A, Newman N, Bernstein D, Khurana Hershey G, Lockey J, Ryan P. Allergic Diseases and Internalizing Behaviors in Early Childhood. Pediatrics. 2016;137(1):1-10.

Lindsley AW, Saal HM, Burrow TA, Hopkin RJ, Shchelochkov O, Khandelwal P, Xie C, Bleesing J, Filipovich L, Risma K, Assa'ad AH, Roehrs PA, Bernstein JA. Defects of B-cell Terminal Differentiation in Patients with Type-1 Kabuki Syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;137(1):179-87.

Sherenian M, Clee M, Schondelmeyer AC, Alarcon A, Li J, Assa’ad A, Risma KA. Caustic Ingestions Mimicking Anaphylaxis: Case Studies and Literature Review. Pediatrics. 2015;135(2):547-50.

Nanda MK, Elenburg S, Bernstein JA, Assa’ad AH. Clinical Features of Pediatric Hereditary Angioedema. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2015;3(3):392-5.

Nanda MK, Assa'ad AH. Unilateral Choanal Atresia in a Child with Recurrent Infections. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2014;2(6):820-1.

Lindsley AW, Qian Y, Valencia CA, Shah K, Zhang K, Assa'ad A. Combined Immune Deficiency in a Patient with a Novel NFKB2 Mutation. J Clin Immunol. 2014;34(8):910-5.

Artem Barski, PhD Director, Epigenomics Data Analysis Core 513-636-1851 artem.barski@cchmc.org

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Artem Barski, PhD

Director, Epigenomics Data Analysis Core

Academic Affiliations

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Phone 513-636-1851

Email artem.barski@cchmc.org

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Research Interests

Epigenetics; epigenomics; immunology; T cell memory

Visit the Barski Lab.

Biography

Artem Barski, PhD, is interested in epigenomics and transcriptional regulation of gene expression. His PhD at the University of Southern California was focused on transcriptional regulation in osteoblasts. During his post-doctoral training in Keji Zhao lab at NIH, Dr. Barski took part in the development of ChIP-Seq, a revolutionary method that combines ChIP with the next-generation sequencing. ChIP-Seq allows genome-wide mapping of chromatin modifications and transcription factor binding sites with resolution and sensitivity far exceeding older methods. Since his arrival to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in 2011, Dr. Barski is working on epigenomics of immunological memory. His laboratory is also developing both wet lab and computational approaches to the study of epigenomics and runs Cincinnati Children's Epigenomics Data Analysis Core.

Dr. Barski has publications in prestigious journals including Cell, Nature Structural and Molecular Biology Genome Biology and others. He is a recipient of NHLBI Career Transition Award (K22) and NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2).

BS/MS: Moscow State University, Department of Chemistry, Moscow, Russia, 2000.

PhD: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 2006.

Fellowship: National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Bethesda, MD, 2011.

Barski A, Cuddapah S, Kartashov AV, Liu C, Imamichi H, Yang W, Peng W, Lane HC, Zhao K. Rapid Recall Ability of Memory T cells is Encoded in their Epigenome. Sci Rep. 2017 Jan 5;7:39785.

Kartashov AV, Barski A. BioWardrobe: an integrated platform for analysis of epigenomics and transcriptomics data. Genome Biol. 2015 Dec 7;16(1):158.

Sin H-S, Kartashov AV, Hasegawa K, Barski A, Namekawa SH. Poised chromatin and bivalent domains facilitate the mitosis-to-meiosis transition in the male germline. BMC Biol. 2015;13:53.

Rochman Y, Yukawa M, Kartashov AV, Barski A. Functional characterization of human T cell hyporesponsiveness induced by CTLA4-Ig. PLoS One. 2015;10(4):e0122198.

Hasegawa K, Sin H-S, Maezawa S, Broering TJ, Kartashov AV, Alavattam KG, Ichijima Y, Zhang F, Bacon WC, Greis KD, Andreassen PR, Barski A, Namekawa S. SCML2 Establishes the Male Germline Epigenome through Regulation of Histone H2A Ubiquitination. Dev Cell. 2015;(5):574–88.

Rochman Y, Yukawa M, Kartashov AV, Barski A. Functional characterization of human T cell hyporesponsiveness induced by CTLA4-Ig. PLoS One. 2015;10(4):e0122198.

Barski A, Chepelev I, Liko D, Cuddapah S, Fleming AB, Birch J, Cui K, White RJ, Zhao K. Pol II and its associated epigenetic marks are present at Pol III-transcribed noncoding RNA genes. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2010 May;17(5):629-34.

Barski A, Jothi R, Cuddapah S, Cui K, Roh TY, Schones DE, Zhao K. Chromatin poises miRNA- and protein-coding genes for expression. Genome Res. 2009 Oct;19(10):1742-51

Barski A, Zhao K. Genomic location analysis by ChIP-Seq. J Cell Biochem. 2009 May 1;107(1):11-8.

Barski A, Cuddapah S, Cui K, Roh TY, Schones DE, Wang Z, Wei G, Chepelev I, Zhao K. High-resolution profiling of histone methylations in the human genome. Cell. 2007 May 18;129(4):823-37.

Barski A, Cuddapah S, Cui K, Roh T-Y, Schones DE, Wang Z, et al. High-resolution profiling of histone methylations in the human genome. Cell. 2007 May 18;129(4):823–37.

Grants

Direct Epigenetic Reprogramming of T Cells. Principal Investigator. National Institute of General Medical Sciences/National Institutes of Health New Innovator Award. Sep 2015-Sep 2020.

Epigenetic Mechanisms of Humoral Immune Deficiency in Kabuki Syndrome. Co-principal Investigator. Center for Pediatric Genomics. Jan 2016-Dec 2017.

Epigenomics Data Analysis Core Translational T1 grant. Principal Investigator. Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Technology. Jul 2015–Jun 2017.

Sandy Durrani, MD 513-636-9728 sandy.durrani@cchmc.org

Sandy Durrani, MD

Academic Affiliations

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Phone 513-636-9728

Email sandy.durrani@cchmc.org

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Clinical Interests

Pediatric asthma

MD: Wright State School of Medicine, Dayton, OH.

Residency: Internal Medicine, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO.

Fellowship: Allergy/Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.

Durrani SR, Busse WW. Management of Adolescents and Adults with Asthma. Middleton’s Allergy: Principles and Practice. 8th edition, eds. N. Franklin Adkinson, et al. Elsevier, 902-920. 2014.

Becker TM, Durrani SR, Bochkov YA, Devries MK, Rajamanickam V, Jackson DJ. Effect of exogenous interferons on rhinovirus replication and airway inflammatory responses. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2013 Nov;111(5):397-401.

Durrani SR, Kelly JT. Pancreatitis as a complication of aspirin desensitization for aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Jan;131(1):244-46.

Durrani SR, Montville DJ, Pratt AS, Sahu S, DeVries MK, Rajamanickam V, Gangnon RE, Gill MA, Gern JE, Lemanske RF Jr, Jackson DJ. Innate immune responses to rhinovirus are reduced by the high-affinity IgE receptor in allergic asthmatic children. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Aug;130(2):489-95.

Durrani SR, Viswanathan RK, Busse WW. What effect does asthma treatment have on airway remodeling? Current perspectives. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011 Sep;128(3):439-48.

Zhuang Y, Durrani S, Hodges BD, Dreskin SC, Chen X. Expression of recombinant Ara h 6 in Pichia pastoris but not in Escherichia coli preserves allergic effector function and allows assessment of specific mutations. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2011 June;56(6):986-95.

Durrani SR, Busse WW. Biological therapy for asthma. American College of Chest Physicians: Pulmonary and Critical Care Update. 2011.

Thomas J. Fischer, MD 513-636-6771

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Thomas J. Fischer, MD

Academic Affiliation

Adjunct Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Phone 513-636-6771

Fax 513-636-5835

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Clinical Interests

Pharmacologic management of asthma; immune deficiency diseases

MD: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 1971.

Residency: Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.

Fellowship: Allergy, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH; Allergy / Immunology, UCLA Center for the Health Sciences, Los Angeles, CA.

Certification: Pediatrics, 1976; Allergy/Immunology, 1977; recertification, 1987.

Beckman PA, Fischer TJ. Negotiating managed care contracts. Compr Ther. 1997 Aug;23(8):554-9.

Yassin MS, Lierl MB, Fischer TJ, O'Brien K, Cross J, Steinmetz C. Latex allergy in hospital employees. Ann Allergy. 1994 Mar;72(3):245-9.

Lierl MB, Riordan MM, Fischer TJ. Prevalence of insect allergen-specific IgE in allergic asthmatic children in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ann Allergy. 1994 Jan;72(1):45-50.

Yassin MS, Sanyurah S, Lierl MB, Fischer TJ, Oppenheimer S, Cross J, O'Brien K, Steinmetz C, Khoury J. Evaluation of latex allergy in patients with meningomyelocele. Ann Allergy. 1992 Sep;69(3):207-11.

Fischer TJ, Daugherty C, Gushurst C, Kephart GM, Gleich GJ. Systemic vasculitis associated with eosinophilia and marked degranulation of tissue eosinophils. Pediatrics. 1988 Jul;82(1):69-75.

Kearns GL, Fischer TJ, Hunter RH. Use of serum theophylline determinations during acute asthma therapy in children. Ann Allergy. 1982 Feb;48(2):71-4.

Fischer TJ, Ghory JE. Asthma as a lethal disease: the Cincinnati experience. J Asthma Res. 1975 Sep;13(1):27-44.

Patricia C. Fulkerson, MD, PhD 513-803-0973 patricia.fulkerson@cchmc.org

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Patricia C. Fulkerson, MD, PhD

Academic Affiliations

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Phone 513-803-0973

Email patricia.fulkerson@cchmc.org

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Specialties

Eosinophilic disorders; immunodeficiency; immune dysregulation

Visit the Fulkerson Lab.

Biography

Patricia C. Fulkerson, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center within the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Her PhD under the mentorship of Dr. Marc Rothenberg was focused on the analysis of experimental allergic lung inflammation in mice. She made a series of groundbreaking observations including a novel approach to understanding the complex and coordinated interplay of the chemokine family of cytokines and eosinophils in experimental allergic lung disease. Throughout her graduate studies, Dr. Fulkerson was recognized as a top trainee in the laboratory. Nationally, she was selected for competitive awards; her most distinguished award was the Serono Ian Clark-Lewis Memorial Award, provided to a trainee for the best talk at the Keystone Symposium Chemokines & Chemokine Receptors. Locally, she has received several competitive awards and scholarships including the Physician Scientist Training Program Scholar Award, as well as prizes for participation in research forums. Upon completion of the MD/PhD program, Dr. Fulkerson completed a research-track pediatric residency. She was recognized as being an outstanding resident and was awarded the Thomas F. Boat Pediatric Pulmonology Award in her final year of residency.

Dr. Fulkerson's innovation and dedication to research continued to be recognized during her allergy/immunology fellowship; she received the AAI-Life Technologies Trainee Achievement Award from the American Association of Immunologists in 2011, and she has the distinction of having achieved extramural funding during her first year of clinical fellowship, with the NIH awarding her a K08 grant on her first application. This independent funding at such an early stage is a notable accomplishment. Now, as an assistant professor, Dr. Fulkerson’s independent research program is focused on the biology of the eosinophil lineage-committed progenitor (EoP). Her overall aim is to identify novel therapeutic targets to block eosinophil production for the treatment of patients with eosinophilic disorders. She has developed a number of innovative methods to study the regulation of eosinophil development including liquid culture systems to follow differentiation of both murine and human EoPs into mature effector eosinophils. The pathways that are identified in her culture systems are tested in models of hypereosinophilia, infection, and allergic inflammation to further characterize the clinical and therapeutic potential of candidate targets.

MD: Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 2007.

PhD: Molecular Genetics, Microbiology & Immunology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 2005.

Residency: Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2010.

Fellowship: Allergy and Immunology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2012.

Fulkerson PC. Transcription Factors in Eosinophil Development and As Therapeutic Targets. Front Med (Lausanne). 2017 July;4:115.

Morris DW, Stucke EM, Martin LJ, Abonia JP, Mukkada VA, Putnam PE, Rothenberg ME, Fulkerson PC. Eosinophil progenitor levels are increased in active pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 May;S0091-6749(16)30157-9.

Bouffi C, Kartashov AV, Schollaert KL, Chen X, Bacon WC, Weirauch MT, Barski A, Fulkerson PC. Transcription Factor Repertoire of Homeostatic Eosinophilopoiesis. J Immunol. 2015 Sep;195(6):2683-95.

Sherenian MG, Wang Y, Fulkerson PC. Hospital admission correlates with higher total IgE level in pediatric patients with asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol In Practice. 2015 Feb;S2213-2198(15)00021-5.

Schollaert KL, Stephens MR, Gray JK, Fulkerson PC. Generation of eosinophils from cryopreserved murine bone marrow cells. PLoS One. 2014 Dec;9(12):e116141.

Fulkerson PC, Schollaert KL, Bouffi C, Rothenberg ME. IL-5 triggers a cooperative cytokine network that promotes eosinophil precursor maturation. J Immunol. 2014 Oct;193(8):4043-52.

Baruch-Morgenstern NB, Shik D, Moshkovits I, Itan M, Karo-Atar D, Bouffi C, Fulkerson PC, Rashkovan D, Jung S, Rothenberg ME, Munitz A. Paired immunoglobulin-like receptor A is an intrinsic, self-limiting suppressor of IL-5-induced eosinophil development. Nat Immunol. 2014 Jan;15(1):36-44.

Fulkerson PC, Rothenberg ME. Targeting eosinophils in allergy, inflammation and beyond. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2013 Feb;12(2):117-29.

Wechsler ME, Fulkerson PC, Bochner BS, Gauvreau GM, Gleich GJ, Henkel T, Kolbeck R, Mathur SK, Ortega H, Patel J, Prussin C, Renzi P, Rothenberg ME, Roufosse F, Simon D, Simon HU, Wardlaw A, Weller PF, Klion AD. Novel targeted therapies for eosinophilic disorders. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012;130(3):563-71.

Fulkerson PC, Fischetti CA, McBride ML, Hassman LM, Hogan SP, Rothenberg ME. A central regulatory role for eosinophils and the eotaxin/CCR3 axis in chronic experimental allergic airway inflammation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006;103(44):16418-23.

Grants

Role of Aiolos in eosinophilic asthma. Principal Investigator. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 2017-2022. R01AI130033.

Eosinophil progenitor level as a disease monitoring tool in eosinophilic esophagitis. Principal Investigator. Digestive Health Center, Pilot and Feasibility Award. 2017-2018.

Gurjit (Neeru) Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD Director, Division of Asthma Research 513-636-7054 gurjit.hershey@cchmc.org

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Gurjit (Neeru) Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD

Director, Division of Asthma Research

Co-Director, Office of Pediatric Clinical Fellowships

Academic Affiliations

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Phone 513-636-7054

Fax 513-636-1657

Email gurjit.hershey@cchmc.org

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Visit the Khurana Hershey Lab.

Clinical

Asthma; allergic rhinitis; food allergy; urticaria

Research

Genetics of allergy and asthma; cytokines; signaling pathways

Biography

Gurjit Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD, received a BS degree from the University of Iowa, and MD and PhD 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 within the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She now directs the Division of Asthma Research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and is the director of the Medical 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. Her research has been continuously funded for over fifteen years. She is the principal investigator of an NIH-funded Asthma and Allergic Diseases Cooperative Research Center (AADCRC), and is also the PI of the Inner City Asthma Consortium, an NIH funded subcontract. She is the PI of the UC T32 MSTP training grant. In addition to her research contributions, she is an outstanding clinician and teacher/mentor. Several of her trainees now hold academic faculty positions. She is the recipient of the 2013 Cincinnati Children’s Educational Achievement Award.

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, is the chair of the Grant Review Committee and appointed vice chair of the Basic and Immunology Interest Section. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 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.

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

PhD: Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 1990.

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

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

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

Board Certification: American Board of Pediatrics, 2009 - Present.

Board Certification: American Board of Allergy and Immunology, 2008 - Present.

Biagini Myers JM, Martin LJ, Butsch Kovacic M, Mersha TB, He H, Pilipenko V, Lindsey MA, Ericksen MB, Bernstein DI, LeMasters GK, Lockey JE, Khurana Hershey GK. Epistasis between serine protease inhibitor Kazal-type 5 (SPINK5) and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) genes contributes to childhood asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014 May 13. pii: S0091-6749(14)00520-X.

Wood RA, Togias A, Wildfire J, Visness CM, Matsui EC, Gruchalla R, Hershey G, Liu AH, O’Connor GT, Pongracic JA, Zoratti E, Little F, Granada M, Kennedy S, Durham SR, Shamji MH, Busse WW. Development of cockroach immunotherapy by the Inner-City Asthma Consortium. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014 Mar;133(3)846-52.

Zhang Z, Xiao C, Gibson AM, Bass SA, Khurana Hershey GK. EGFR signaling blunts allergen-induced IL-6 production and Th17 responses in the skin and attenuates development and relapse of atopic dermatitis. J Immunol. 2014 Feb 1:192(3):859-66.

Kinker KG, Gibson AM, Bass SA, Day BP, Deng, J, Medvedovic M, Figueroa JA, Hershey GK, Chen W. Overexpression of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1 attenuates airway inflammation in a mouse model of asthma. PloS One. 2014 Jan 10;9 (1):e85148.

Acciani TH, Brandt EB, Khurana Hershey GK, Le Cras TD. Diesel exhaust particle exposure increases severity of allergic asthma in young mice and children. Clin Exp Allergy. 2013 Dec;43(12):1406-18.

Brandt EB, Kovacic MB, Lee GB, Gibson AM, Acciani TH, Le Cras TD, Budelsky AL, Khurana Hershey GK. Diesel exhaust particle induction of IL17A contributes to severe asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Nov:132(5);1194-1204.

Brandt EB, Gibson AM, Bass S, Khurana Hershey GK. Exacerbation of Allergen-Induced Eczema in TLR4- and TRIF-Deficient Mice. J Immunol. 2013 Oct 1;191(7):3519-25.

Chen W, Sivaprasad U, Gibson AM, Ericksen MB, Cunningham CM, Bass SA, Kinker KG, Finkelman FD, Wills-Karp M, Khurana Hershey GK. IL-13 receptor α2 contributes to development of experimental allergic asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Oct;132(4):951-958.

Lee GB, Brandt EB, Xiao C, Gibson AM, Le Cras TD, Brown LA, Fitzpatrick AM, Khurana Hershey GK. Diesel exhaust particles induce cysteine oxidation and S-glutathionylation in house dust mite induced murine asthma. PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e60632.

Mintz-Cole RA, Brandt EB, Bass SA, Gibson AM, Reponen T, Khurana Hershey GK. Surface availability of beta-glucans is critical determinant of host immune response to C. cladosporioides J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Jul;132(1):159-69.

Michelle B. Lierl, MD Clinical Allergist, Division of Allergy and Immunology 513-636-6771 michelle.lierl@cchmc.org

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Michelle B. Lierl, MD

Clinical Allergist, Division of Allergy and Immunology

Academic Affiliations

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Phone 513-636-6771

Fax 513-636-5835

Email michelle.lierl@cchmc.org

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Visit Dr. Lierl's fungal spore photo website.

Clinical

Treatment and prevention of asthma; allergic rhinitis; allergen immunotherapy; eczema; food allergy; anaphylaxis; suspected immune deficiency

Research

Role of environmental allergens and pollutants in childhood asthma; allergen immunotherapy; asthma pathogenesis and treatment; role of outdoor fungal spores as aeroallergens; diagnosis and treatment of food allergy

Visit the Lierl Lab website.

Biography

Michelle B. Lierl, MD, is board-certified in pediatrics, pediatric pulmonary medicine and allergy/immunology. Dr. Lierl's primary clinical interests are diagnosis and treatment of asthma, allergic rhinitis, chronic cough, food, latex, insect venom and drug allergies, and eczema.

Dr. Lierl has been treating allergy patients in the Allergy Clinic and Asthma Center, which provides state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment of asthma and allergies, as well as comprehensive patient education regarding these diseases. She has developed community outreach and patient / family education programs for urban children with asthma and their families.

Dr. Lierl also helps staff the allergy inpatient service, which provides consultation for the management of patients with difficult-to-manage asthma, suspected drug allergies, anaphylaxis, or suspected immune deficiency.

MD: University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, 1979.

Residency: University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, KY, 1979 to 1982.

Fellowship: Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, Louisiana State University Medical Center, Shreveport, LA, 1984 - 1986; Allergy / Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 1986 - 1988.

Certification: Pediatrics, 1984; Allergy / Immunology, 1987; Pediatric Pulmonary, 1989, 1996, 2002.

Lierl MB. Management of mild to moderate pediatric asthma. Infect Dis Child. 2011 Dec;supplement: 8-12.

Lierl MB. Allergen immunotherapy: Shots for asthma, wheezing and bee sting. Ped Annals. 2011 Apr;40:192-199.

Spanier AJ, Kahn RS, Hurnung RW, Lierl MB, Lanphear BP. Associations of Fraction of Exhaled Nitric Oxide with Beta Agonist Use in Children with Asthma. Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology. 2011 Mar;24(1):45-50.

Lanphear BP, Hornung RW, Khoury J, Yolton K, Lierl M, Kalkbrenner A. Effects of HEPA air cleaners on unscheduled asthma visits and asthma symptoms for children exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke. Pediatrics. 2011 Jan;127(1):93-101.

Metz KA, Assa'ad A, Lierl MB, Backeljauw P. Allergic reaction to mecasermin. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2009;103(1):82-3.

Metz KA, Johnson T, Khurana Hershey GK, Lierl MB, Seidu L, Burns K, Assa’ad A. Successful administration of cytarabine in a 16 month old girl with acute myelogenous leukemia and cytarabine syndrome. Ann Allergy, Asthma Immunol. 2009;102:173-4.

Spanier AJ, Kahn RS, Hornung RW, Wang N, Sun G, Lierl MB, Lanphear BP. Environmental exposures, nitric oxide synthase genes, and exhaled nitric oxide in asthmatic children. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009 Aug;44(8):812-9.

Spanier AJ, Hornung RW, Kahn RS, Lierl MB, Lanphear BP. Seasonal variation and environmental predictors of exhaled nitric oxide in children with asthma. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2008 Jun;43(6):576-83.

Lierl M. Periodic fever syndromes: a diagnostic challenge for the allergist. Allergy. 2007 Dec;62(12):1349-58. Review.

Spanier AJ, Hornung R, Lierl M, Lanphear BP. Environmental exposures and exhaled nitric oxide in children with asthma. J Pediatr. 2006 Aug;149(2):220-6.

Andrew W. Lindsley, MD, PhD 513-636-4589 andrew.lindsley@cchmc.org

High Res

Andrew W. Lindsley, MD, PhD

Academic Affiliations

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Phone 513-636-4589

Email andrew.lindsley@cchmc.org

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Clinical

Kabuki syndrome; immune deficiency

Research

Asthma pathogenesis

PhD: Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 2005.

MD: Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 2007.

Residency: Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2007-10.

Fellowship: Allergy & Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2010-13.

Certifications: Pediatrics 2013, Allergy & Immunology 2014.

Lindsley AW, Saal HM, Burrow TA, Hopkin RJ, Shchelochkov O, Khandelwal P, Xie C, Bleesing J, Filipovich L, Risma K, Assa’ad AH, Roehrs PA, Bernstein JA. Defects of B Cell Terminal Differentiation in Patients with Type-1 Kabuki Syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2015.

Lindsley AW, Qian Y, Valencia CA, Shah K, Zhang K, Assa'ad A. Combined Immune Deficiency in a Patient with a Novel NFKB2 Mutation. J Clin Immunol. 2014 Nov;34(8):910-5.

Lyons JJ, Sun G1, Stone KD, Nelson C1, Wisch L, O'Brien M, Jones N, Lindsley A, Komarow HD, Bai Y, Scott LM, Cantave D, Maric I, Abonia J, Rothenberg ME, Schwartz LB, Milner JD, Wilson TM. Mendelian inheritance of elevated serum tryptase associated with atopy and connective tissue abnormalities. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014 May;133(5):1471-4.

Baye T, Kovacic M, Biagini-Myers J, Martin L, Lindsey M, Patterson T, He H, Ericksen M, Gupta J, Tsoras A, Lindsley A, Rothenberg M, Wills-Karp M, Eissa N, Borish L, Hershey G. Differences in Candidate Gene Association between European Ancestry and African American Asthmatic Children. PLoS One. 2011 Feb 28;6(2):e16522.

Snider P, Hinton RB, Moreno-Rodriguez RA, Wang J, Rogers R, Lindsley A, Li F, Ingram DA, Menick D, Field L, Firulli AB, Molkentin JD, Markwald R, Conway SJ. Periostin is required for maturation and extracellular matrix stabilization of noncardiomyocyte lineages of the heart. Circ Res. 2008 Apr 11;102(7):752-60.

Lindsley A, Snider P, Zhou H, Rogers R, Wang J, Olaopa M, Kruzynska-Frejtag A, Koushik SV, Lilly B, Burch JB, Firulli AB, Conway SJ. Identification and characterization of a novel Schwann and outflow tract endocardial cushion lineage-restricted periostin enhancer. Dev Biol. 2007 Jul 15;307(2):340-55.

Lindsley A, Li W, Wang J, Maeda N, Rogers R, Conway SJ. Comparison of the four mouse fasciclin-containing genes expression patterns during valvuloseptal morphogenesis. Gene Expr Patterns. 2005 Jun;5(5):593-600.

Rios H, Koushik S, Wang J, Lindsley A, Wang H, Rogers R, Chen Z, Maeda M, Kruzynska-Frejtag A, Markwald R, Feng J, Conway S. Periostin null mice exhibit dwarfism, cardiac valve anomalies, incisor enamel defects, & an early onset periodontal disease-like phenotype. Mol Cell Biol. 2005 Dec;25(24):11131-44.

Stephanie L. Logsdon, MD 513-636-4589 stephanie.logsdon@cchmc.org

Kimberly A. Risma, MD, PhD Director, Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Program 513-636-6771 kimberly.risma@cchmc.org

High Res

Kimberly A. Risma, MD, PhD

Director, Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Program

Academic Affiliations

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Phone 513-636-6771

Fax 513-636-5835

Email kimberly.risma@cchmc.org

Show All

Visit the Risma Lab website.

Clinical

Immune deficiency; immune dysregulation

Research

Pathophysiology of perforin missense mutations identified in individuals with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis; molecular mechanisms of primary immune deficiency and dysregulation; natural killer cell and cytotoxic T lymphocyte cytotoxicity

Biography

Kimberly Risma, MD, PhD, is an associate professor in the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children’s within the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Dr. Risma graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from Duke University in 1990 and was elected into The Phi Beta Kappa Society. She then matriculated at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). In 1996, she completed a PhD in pharmacology. She was selected by the leadership of the CWRU MSTP as the recipient of the 1997 Martin Wahl Memorial Fund Award, given annually to recognize the graduating MD, PhD student who has demonstrated the highest level of independence in research and excellence in research and clinical skills. She was also elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Society in 1997.

In 1997, she enrolled in a pediatrics residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center/University of Cincinnati. During the residency program, Dr. Risma was awarded the pediatric resident teaching award by the medical students. She also engaged in translational research studies related to the genetics of asthma under the mentorship of Dr. Gurjit Hershey, resulting in a first author publication as a pediatric resident.

In 2000, Dr. Risma was accepted to the Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Program at Cincinnati Children’s. In addition to her clinical training, she pursued an innovative research project under the mentorship of Dr. Janos Sumegi and Dr. Alexandra Filipovich. She proposed a mechanism to study the structural and functional impact of perforin missense mutations identified in patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. In 2004 she was awarded the Nezelof Prize for best scientific presentation at the international meeting of the Histiocyte Society. The culmination of her fellowship research project was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2006.

Upon completion of her fellowship in 2005, Dr. Risma was appointed as an assistant professor in the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center within the UC Department of Pediatrics. In 2006 Dr. Risma received a Clinical Scientist Development Award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Dr. Risma is the director of the Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Program at Cincinnati Children's, having served in this leadership position since August of 2012.

Dr. Risma's research program focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of immunodeficiency and immune dysregulation in children, especially as it relates to disorders of lymphocyte cytotoxicity. In addition to her research, she sees patients from all around the country in consultation for primary immune deficiency, immune dysregulation, and allergic disorders.

MD: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 1997.

PhD: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 1996.

Residency: Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 1997-2000.

Fellowship: Allergy / Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Certification: Pediatrics, 2007; Allergy and Immunology, 2005.

Marc E. Rothenberg, MD, PhD Director, Division of Allergy and Immunology 513-803-0257 marc.rothenberg@cchmc.org

High Res

Marc E. Rothenberg, MD, PhD

Director, Division of Allergy and Immunology

Director, Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders

Academic Affiliations

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Phone 513-803-0257

Fax 513-636-3310

Email marc.rothenberg@cchmc.org

Show All

Visit the Rothenberg Lab.

Clinical

Eosinophilia; eosinophilic disorders; asthma; allergy; food allergy

Research

Eosinophils; chemokines

Biography

Visit the Rothenberg Lab website.

Dr. Rothenberg is director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and tenured professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s within the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He graduated summa cum laude with highest honors in chemistry and biochemistry from Brandeis University. He then completed the MD/PhD program at Harvard Medical School under Dr. Frank Austen, conducting studies on eosinophil hematopoiesis, as he developed the first culture system for human eosinophils. After completing residency at Children’s Hospital, Boston, Dr. Rothenberg did a fellowship in allergy/immunology and hematology at Children’s Hospital. Dr. Rothenberg did post-doctorate training with Dr. Philip Leder, Harvard Medical School, where he cloned the eotaxin chemokine. After being faculty at Harvard Medical School for one year, he came to the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's, where he has helped build a top program in research, and his division is a leader in allergy and immunology.

His research is focused on molecular analysis of allergic inflammation, primarily on the molecular pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis. His laboratory takes a multi-disciplinary approach including the development of preclinical murine models: genetics, genomics, molecular immunology, and biochemistry. Dr. Rothenberg’s awards include the 2007 E Mead Johnson Award from the Society of Pediatric Research, 2010 National Institutes of Health MERIT Award, and being elected an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Society for Pediatric Radiology. His publications number over 300. He has served on review panels for journals/grant agencies including National Institutes of Health (NIH), Burroughs Trust, and Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom. He served for four years on the Advisory Council of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. He has been associate editor of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology since 2004. His research has been supported by sources including the NIH, Human Frontier Science Program Organization, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Dana Foundation, and Department of Defense.

MD, PhD: Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, 1990.

Residency: Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 1991-1992.

Fellowship: Immunology / Allergy, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 1992-1994; Hematology / Oncology, Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 1992-1995.

Certification: National Board of Medical Examiners, 1991; Board of Registration in Medicine, MA, 1992; American Board of Pediatrics, 1995, 2001, 2008; Ohio State Medical Board, 1997; American Board of Allergy and Immunology, 1997, 2006.

Butz BK, Wen T, Gleich GJ, Furuta GT, Spergel J, King E, Kramer RE, Collins MH, Stucke E, Mangeot C, Jackson WD, O'Gorman M, Abonia JP, Pentiuk S, Putnam PE, Rothenberg ME. Efficacy, dose reduction, and resistance to high-dose fluticasone in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis. Gastroenterology. 2014 Aug;147(2):324:33.e5.

Sherrill JD, Kc K, Wu D, Djukic Z, Caldwell JM, Stucke EM, Kemme KA, Costello MS, Mingler MK, Blanchard C, Collins MH, Abonia JP, Putnam PE, Dellon ES, Orlando RC, Hogan SP, Rothenberg ME. Desmoglein-1 regulates esophageal epithelial barrier function and immune responses in eosinophilic esophagitis. Mucosal Immunol. 2014 May;7(3):718-29.

Wen T, Stucke EM, Grotjan TM, Kemme KA, Abonia JP, Putnam PE, Franciosi JP, Garza JM, Kaul A, King EC, Collins MH, Kushner JP, Rothenberg ME. Molecular diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis by gene expression profiling. Gastroenterology. 2013 Dec;145(6):1289-99.

Wen T, Besse JA, Mingler MK, Fulkerson PC, Rothenberg ME. Eosinophil adoptive transfer system to directly evaluate pulmonary eosinophil trafficking in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Apr 9;110(15):6067-72.

Lu TX, Sherrill JD, Wen T, Plassard AJ, Besse JA, Abonia JP, Franciosi JP, Putnam PE, Eby M, Martin LJ, Aronow BJ, Rothenberg ME. MicroRNA signature in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis, reversibility with glucocorticoids, and assessment as disease biomarkers. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Apr;129(4):1064-75.e9.

Rothenberg ME, Spergel JM, Sherrill JD, Annaiah K, Martin LJ, Cianferoni A, Gober L, Kim C, Glessner J, Frackelton E, Thomas K, Blanchard C, Liacouras C, Verma R, Aceves S, Collins MH, Brown-Whitehorn T, Putnam PE, Franciosi JP, Chiavacci RM, Grant SF, Abonia JP, Sleiman PM, Hakonarson H. Common variants at 5q22 associate with pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis. Nat Genet. 2010 Apr;42(4):289-91.

Rothenberg ME, Klion AD, Roufosse FE, Kahn JE, Weller PF, Simon HU, Schwartz LB, Rosenwasser LJ, Ring J, Griffin EF, Haig AE, Frewer PI, Parkin JM, Gleich GJ; Mepolizumab HEC Study Group. Treatment of patients with the hypereosinophilic syndrome with mepolizumab. N Engl J Med. 2008 Mar 20;358(12):1215-28.

Blanchard C, Wang N, Stringer KF, Mishra A, Fulkerson PC, Abonia JP, Jameson SC, Kirby C, Konikoff MR, Collins MH, Cohen MB, Akers R, Hogan SP, Assa'ad AH, Putnam PE, Aronow BJ, Rothenberg ME. Eotaxin-3 and a uniquely conserved gene-expression profile in eosinophilic esophagitis. J Clin Invest. 2006 Feb;116(2):536-47.

Hogan SP, Mishra A, Brandt EB, Royalty MP, Pope SM, Zimmermann N, Foster PS, Rothenberg ME. A pathological function for eotaxin and eosinophils in eosinophilic gastrointestinal inflammation. Nat Immunol. 2001 Apr;2(4):353-60.

Mishra A, Hogan SP, Brandt EB, Rothenberg ME. An etiological role for aeroallergens and eosinophils in experimental esophagitis. J Clin Invest. 2001 Jan;107(1):83-90.

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