Digestive Health Center
Meet the Team

Meet our Experts

Associate Members

A photo of Akihiro Asai.

Akihiro Asai, MD, PhD

Research Interests
Pediatric hepatology; genetic and molecular mechanism of liver development and pathophysiology
Visit the Asai Lab
A photo of Nurit Azouz.

Nurit Azouz, PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Allergic diseases; the mechanisms by which protease–protease inhibitor imbalance promotes barrier breaches and loss of immunologic tolerance in...
Visit the Azouz Lab
A photo of Alexander Bondoc.

Alexander Bondoc, MD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Surgery
Research Interests
Liver tumors; neonatal kidney failure; hepatoblastoma
Visit the Bondoc Lab
Jasbir Dhaliwal

Jasbir Dhaliwal, MBBS, MRCPCH, MSc

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Artificial intelligence; deep learning; machine learning; predictive analytics; clinical decision support tool and social determinants of health
Profile Photo Not Available

Emily Eshleman, PhD

Instructor, UC Department of Pediatrics
A photo of Maria Fields.

Maria E. Fields (Moreno-Fernandez), PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Immune regulation; inflammation; obesity; diabetes; liver disease; aging
This is a photo of Seika Hanshimoto-Hill.

Seika Hashimoto-Hill

Instructor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Mucosal immunology; microbiota; nutrition; IBD
A photo of Rana Herro.

Rana Herro, PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Visit the Herro Lab
A photo of Pooja Khandelwal.

Pooja Khandelwal, MD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Acute graft versus host disease biology; treatment of steroid refractory acute graft versus host disease; management of refractory autoimmune...
A photo of Mansa Krishnamurthy.

Mansa Krishnamurthy, MD, MSc

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Disorders of beta cell function; monogenic diabetes; congenital hyperinsulinism
A photo of Jonathan Merola.

Jonathan Merola, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Surgery
Research Interests
Hepatocyte Transplantation; immunosuppression monitoring; genetic modification of human allografts; CRISPR / Cas9
Sarah Orkin

Sarah H. Orkin, MD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Impact of social determinants of health on gastrointestinal illnesses
A photo of Jose Peiro.

Jose L. Peiro, MD, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Surgery
Research Interests
Myelomeningocele intrauterine repair; fetal tracheal occlusion for CDH
Visit the Peiro Lab
A photo of Anna Peters.

Anna L. Peters, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Liver transplant rejection and tolerance; liver transplant outcomes research
Juan Sanchez Gurmaches

Juan Sanchez Gurmaches, PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Adipocytes; brown and white fat; animal models; adipocyte development and heterogeneity; insulin signaling; animal models
Visit the Sanchez Gurmaches Lab
Neha Santucci

Neha R. Santucci, MBBS, MD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Tetsuo Shoda

Tetsuo Shoda, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Severe allergies; eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders; precision medicine; molecular and genetic mechanisms
Visit the Shoda Lab
A photo of Ty Troutman.

Ty D. Troutman, PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Disease; gene regulation; immunology; innate immunity; macrophages; myeloid cells
Visit the Troutman Lab
A photo of Stephen Waggoner.

Stephen N. Waggoner, PhD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Viral immunology; natural killer cells; immunoregulation; vaccines; autoimmunity; immune dysfunction in aging.
Visit the Waggoner Lab.
A photo of Jessica Woo.

Jessica G. Woo, MHSA, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Early life influences on the development of pediatric obesity; severe obesity in childhood; breastfeeding and complementary food; life-course...
Visit the Woo Lab
Peng Wu

Peng V. Wu, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Pediatric liver tumors; developmental biology; cancer genetics and genomics
Visit the Wu Lab

Leadership

This is Theresea Alenghat.

Theresa Alenghat, VMD, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Visit the Alenghat Lab
Lee Denson

Lee A. Denson, MD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Visit the Denson Research Lab
Alexander Miethke, MD

Alexander G. Miethke, MD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Immune mediated liver injury, specifically the role of regulatory T cells in biliary atresia and primary sclerosing cholangitis; genetic basis for...
Visit the Miethke Lab
A photo of Nicholas Ollberding.

Nicholas J. Ollberding, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Application and development of analytical methods for microbial metagenomic next-generation sequence data; dietary assessment and analysis...
A photo of Cynthia Wetzel.

Cynthia C. Wetzel, PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

Members

A photo of Maisam Abu-El-Haija.

Maisam A. Abu-El-Haija, MD, MS

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
This is Theresea Alenghat.

Theresa Alenghat, VMD, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Visit the Alenghat Lab
A photo of Bruce Aronow.

Bruce J. Aronow, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Visit the Aronow-Jegga Lab
A photo Artem Barski.

Artem Barski, PhD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Epigenetics; epigenomics; immunology; T cell memory
Visit the Barski Lab
Lee Denson

Lee A. Denson, MD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Visit the Denson Research Lab
A photo of Jonathan R. Dillman.

Jonathan R. Dillman, MD, MSc

Associate Chief of Research, Department of Radiology
Research Interests
Ultrasound and MRI evaluation of Crohn's disease; ultrasound and MRI detection and measurement of liver fibrosis
A photo of Senad Divanovic.

Senad Divanovic, PhD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Visit the Divanovic Lab
A photo of David Haslam, MD.

David B. Haslam, MD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Michael Helmrath

Michael A. Helmrath, MD

Professor, UC Department of Surgery
Research Interests
Intestinal diseases research
Visit the Helmrath Lab
A photo of Kevin Hommel.

Kevin A. Hommel, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Use of technology to promote self-management in chronic conditions; adherence and self-management assessment methodology; behavioral treatment of...
Visit the Hommel Lab
A photo of Stacey Huppert.

Stacey S. Huppert, PhD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Hepatic cell plasticity, development and regeneration; reprogramming; three-dimensional hepatic architecture; Notch signaling; hepatobiliary disease
Visit the Huppert Lab
Makiko Doi

Makiko Iwafuchi, PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Chromatin regulation; pioneer transcription factors; cell programming and reprogramming
Visit the Iwafuchi Lab
A photo of Jennifer Kaplan.

Jennifer Kaplan, MD, MS

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Visit the Kaplan Lab
Leah Kottyan

Leah C. Kottyan, PhD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Genetic basis of lupus; genetic basis of eosinophilic esophagitis; immunological mechanisms mediating genetic association with disease
Visit the Kottyan Lab
A photo of Lisa Martin.

Lisa J. Martin, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Statistical genetics; genetics of heart malformations; pharmacogenetics; genetics of allergic disorders
Alexander Miethke, MD

Alexander G. Miethke, MD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Immune mediated liver injury, specifically the role of regulatory T cells in biliary atresia and primary sclerosing cholangitis; genetic basis for...
Visit the Miethke Lab
Phillip Minar, MD, assistant professor with gastroenterology

Phillip Minar, MD, MS

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Application of personalized medicine in the care of children and young adults with IBD through the discovery of surrogate biomarkers of intestinal...
Visit the Minar Lab
A photo of Sean Moore.

Sean R. Moore, MD, MS

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Structure and function of the gastrointestinal tract in the context of childhood nutrition, growth, immunity, and host-microbe interactions
A photo of Marialena Mouzaki.

Marialena Mouzaki, MD, MSc

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Pediatric MASLD
A photo of Takahisa Nakamura.

Takahisa Nakamura, PhD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Visit the Nakamura Lab
A photo of Nicholas Ollberding.

Nicholas J. Ollberding, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Application and development of analytical methods for microbial metagenomic next-generation sequence data; dietary assessment and analysis...
A photo of Chandrashekhar Pasare.

Chandrashekhar Pasare, DVM, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Innate immunity; toll-like receptor signaling; dendritic cell biology; innate control of adaptive immunity; regulation of inflammation
Visit the Pasare Lab
A photo of Marc Rothenberg.

Marc E. Rothenberg, MD, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Eosinophils; chemokines
Visit the Rothenberg Lab
A photo of Soona Shin.

Soona Shin, PhD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Surgery
Research Interests
Liver cancer; tumor initiation; cell-cell communication; hepatic progenitor cells
Visit the Shin Lab
A photo of Takanori Takebe.

Takanori Takebe, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Organoid; organogenesis; stem cell biology; transplantation; drug development Visit the Takebe Research Lab.
Visit the Takebe Research Lab
A photo of Gregory Tiao.

Greg M. Tiao, MD

Professor, UC Department of Surgery
Visit the Tiao Lab
A photo of Nikolai Timchenko.

Nikolai Timchenko, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Surgery
Visit the Timchenko Lab
A photo of Kelli VanDussen.

Kelli L. VanDussen, PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Intestinal epithelium; inflammatory bowel disease; primary cell culture; basic research; translational research
Visit the VanDussen Lab
Sing Sing Way

Sing Sing Way, MD, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Visit the Way Lab.
A photo of James Wells, PhD.

James M. Wells, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Understanding the development of the pancreas, and gastrointestinal organs; generating 3-dimensional human tissues from pluripotent stem cells and...
Visit the Wells Lab
A photo of Susanne Wells.

Susanne Wells, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Cancer susceptibility; development and progression; squamous cell carcinoma; proton therapy; pluripotent stem cells and organ regeneration
Visit the Wells Lab
A photo of Kathryn Wikenheiser-Brokamp.

Kathryn A. Wikenheiser-Brokamp, MD, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
A photo of Stavra Xanthakos.

Stavra A. Xanthakos, MD, MS

Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Prevalence, determinants and outcome of pediatric obesity-related liver disease (Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and steatohepatitis); bariatric...
Center for Rare Liver Disease Photoshoot,Dr. Chunyue Yin

Chunyue Yin, PhD

Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Liver biology; cholestasis; molecular genetics of pediatric liver diseases
Visit the Yin Lab
A photo of Margaret Zeller.

Margaret "Meg" H. Zeller, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Barriers to weight management.
Visit the Zeller Lab
Yi Zheng

Yi Zheng, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Using transgenic and gene targeted mouse models to study the physiological and pathological roles of Rho GTPases and their regulators in...
Visit the Zheng Lab
A photo of Basilia Zingarelli.

Basilia Zingarelli, MD, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Signal transduction mechanisms regulating the inflammatory response in sepsis, hemorrhage, ischemia and reperfusion injury; inflammatory bowel...
Visit the Zingarelli Lab
A photo of Aaron Zorn.

Aaron M. Zorn, PhD

Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Research Interests
Development of the digestive and respiratory systems. Learn more about CuSTOM.
Visit the Zorn Lab

University of Cincinnati Researchers

Jason T. Blackard, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine; Division of Digestive Disease

Christian I. Hong, PhD, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology

Min Liu, PhD, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Rajat Madan, MBBS, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine; Division of Infectious Diseases

Ardythe L. Morrow, PhD, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences; Division of Epidemiology

Yvonne Ulrich-Lai, PhD, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology

Senu Apewokin, MD, Department of Internal Medicine; Infectious Diseases

Karthickeyan Chella Krishnan, PhD, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology

Shinsmon Jose, MSc, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine; Infectious Diseases

Clayton S. Lewis, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine; Division of Digestive Disease

Research Focus Areas
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