Mario Castro, M.D., MPH
Chief, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research
Director, Frontiers: University of Kansas Clinical and Translational Science and Institute
University of Kansas School of Medicine
mcastro2@kumc.edu

Dr. Castro is a Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research, Department of Medicine, Chief, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC), and Director of the Frontiers: University of Kansas Clinical and Translational Science Institute and Adjunct Research Professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. He has been a leader of the CDC Controlling Asthma in American Cities, American Lung Association Airway Clinical Research Centers, and NHLBI Asthma Clinical Research Network, Severe Asthma Research Program, AsthmaNet and PrecISE research networks. His translational research projects in the Asthma and Airway Translational Research Unit (AATRU) are focused on the pathogenesis of asthma and treatment of asthma, especially in severe disease.

Recently, Dr. Castro has spearheaded several initiatives to combat the COVID-19 pandemic: Lead investigator for NIH/NIAID-funded COVID-19 Prevention Trials Network (CoVPN trial), ACTIV-2 trial and the PCORNET HERO HCQ trial. He is the author of over 30 chapters/books and over 300 peer-reviewed articles; over the past 25+ years, Dr. Castro has trained over 40 junior clinical & translational scholars. He is widely recognized as an expert clinician, an excellent mentor, and skilled educator with a significant commitment to the development of young investigator’s careers. 

Rene Cortese, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
rcortese@kumc.edu

Dr. Rene Cortese’s overarching research interest is the study of epigenomics in complex diseases to detect and understand how complex diseases develop, progress, are inherited, and can be detected and treated. His lab conducts groundbreaking studies in epigenomics of sleep disorders, including cardiovascular and metabolic consequences of sleep disorders, the methylation patterns of circulating DNA in sleep apnea and its application as predictive and prognostic biomarkers.

Epigenetics refers to the study of heritable changes in genome function that occur without a change in DNA sequence. Epigenetic mechanisms involve chemical modifications of the DNA molecules (e.g. DNA methylation and hydroxylmethylation), changes in the codes of histone modifications and chromatin packing (e.g. histone acetylation and methylation), and variations in the expression and function of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Importantly, these layers of regulation do not act in an isolated fashion but rather interacting with each other through complex regulatory networks. From a functional point of view, research on this field approaches issues such how patterns of gene expression are passed from one cell to its descendants, how gene expression changes during cell differentiation, and how environmental factors can change the way genes are expressed.  Assessment and evaluation of epigenomic profiles have currently a fundamental role in understanding, diagnosing and treating complex pathologies.

Dr. Cortese’s lab main research interests are: i) Epigenomics of Sleep Disorders, ii) Epigenomics profiling in circulating DNA in bodily fluids, iii) Multiomics studies on phenotype modulation trough epigenetics regulation, and iv) Epigenetics mechanisms involved in the Developmental Origin of Diseases. His work is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and phylantropic organizations.

Students are anticipated to work in a team environment including graduate and post-graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and research technician. They will have hands-on training on epigenetic research methodologies, such as circulating DNA methylation  profiling and qPCR. They will be also observe how obstructive sleep apnea can be induced in mouse models and how the molecular, biochemical and physiological effects are assessed.

Navneet Dhillon, Ph.D.
Professor, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care
ndhillon@kumc.edu

Dr. Dhillon’s research interests are focused on unraveling the molecular pathways involved in HIV-infection associated pulmonary disorders, particularly vasculature dysfunction associated with cardio-pulmonary complications.

In general, the prolonged survival of human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV-1)-infected patients with the use of antiretroviral therapy has resulted in increase in the incidence of non-infectious cardio-vascular and pulmonary complications such as coronary heart disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), especially among intravenous drug users. The long-term goal of the lab is to understand mechanistically how HIV-1 and drugs of abuse interact and contribute to the pulmonary vascular remodeling, which can later help in developing novel and effective therapeutic intervention strategies against cardiopulmonary complications associated with HIV-infection.

Current research is aimed at:

• elucidating the underlying molecular mechanism(s) involved in the augmentation of HIV-protein related pulmonary smooth muscle hyperplasia in the presence/absence of illicit drugs;
• exploring the role of extracellular vesicles released by macrophages in HIV associated pulmonary arteriopathy;
• defining the mechanism(s) involved in autophagy-mediated augmentation of HIV-related pulmonary endothelial dysfunction.

Dr. Dhillon’s research is currently supported by multiple grants from the National Institute of Health.

Students will join a post-doctorate fellow or a research technician to work on one of the above-mentioned projects and will get hands-on experience on various molecular biology, cell-culture and basic laboratory techniques. Students will also get an opportunity to observe the catheterization and hemodynamic analysis on an animal model system.

Edward Ellerbeck, M.D., MPH
Professor, Chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
eellerbe@kumc.edu

Dr. Ellerbeck’s research focuses on improving primary care delivery and delivery of preventive services with a particular focus on tobacco control, cancer screening, diabetes management, and cardiovascular health.

He has experience conducting interventional and observational studies on quality of care in hospitals and primary care practices.  Dr. Ellerbeck developed, implemented and tested a ‘chronic care model’ for smoking cessation, demonstrating that smokers are willing to make repeated cessation attempts over a 2-year period of follow-up.  He has also conducted direct observation of smoking cessation interventions in physician offices and academic detailing among 300 Kansas primary care physician offices to improve delivery of preventive services.   

Dr. Ellerbeck is Medical Director of “U Kan Quit” at KUMC hospital.  Students would work on projects examining the delivery of smoking cessation services to hospitalized patients.

Eleanor Leavens, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health
eleavens@kumc.edu

Dr. Leavens is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Leavens received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University and completed her clinical internship at the Medical University of South Carolina. Her research focuses broadly on the assessment of tobacco regulatory policies and investigates mechanisms that contribute to tobacco use and tobacco-related health inequities. Specifically, her research investigates product standards for new and emerging tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes, heat-not-burn devices, and hookah smoking and evaluates the impact on disparate populations. Ongoing projects use human laboratory methods to assess nicotine delivery, use patterns, and perceptions of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and cigarettes among African American and white smokers.

Peter Niedbalski, Ph.D.
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine
Research Assistant Professor
pniedbalski@kumc.edu

Peter Niedbalski, Ph.D. is a researcher in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine with a particular interest in lung imaging. His research focuses on the use of xenon MRI to image the structure and function of the lungs. Xenon MRI is a technique in which xenon gas is made visible to an MRI scanner, inhaled by a participant, and imaged during a short breath-hold. Dr. Niedbalski’s research focusses on both the technical development of xenon MRI and its application toward improving our understanding of lung health and disease. Fellows in Dr. Niedbalski’s lab will learn the basics of MRI, xenon polarization, image processing, and interpretation of imaging biomarkers.

Kimber P. Richter, Ph.D., MPH
Professor, Preventive Medicine and Public Health
krichter@kumc.edu

Dr. Richter is Director of UkanQuit at KUMed, a bedside tobacco treatment service for our hospital inpatients, which has served over 10,000 patients since its inception in 2006.

Based on UKanQuit, Dr. Richter leads an NIH-funded study to identify the best way to link hospitalized smokers with treatment after discharge.  She was also principal investigator of Connect2Quit, an NIH-funded trial on the effectiveness of real-time internet video counseling for smoking cessation for rural smokers in Kansas.  Her team is currently analyzing data on a national survey conducted among substance abuse treatment facilities to identify what they do (and don’t do) to help their clients quit smoking. 

Dr. Richter is President of the Association for Medical Education and Research on Substance Abuse and is on the editorial board for the new peer-reviewed journal Addiction Science and Clinical Practice.

Steven Q. Simpson, M.D.
Professor, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
ssimpson3@kumc.edu 

Dr. Simpson’s research is focused on the condition of severe sepsis, the most deadly complication of infection, which kills more than 250,000 people every year in the United States.  He is the founder of the Midwest Critical Care Collaborative and the Kansas Sepsis Project, both of which have as their main goal, the implementation of rapid aggressive recognition and treatment of severe sepsis in hospitals throughout the region

Dr. Simpson is involved in sepsis research on several different clinical and translational levels.  He uses the HERON database, a repository of clinical information on all KU Hospital inpatients to determine factors that affect the outcome of severe sepsis.  The database contains information on over 100,000 patients and more than 5,000 patients with severe sepsis, allowing for robust epidemiological analysis.

Dr. Simpson is also involved in prospective studies of hemodynamic changes in septic patients and how hemodynamic variables can be measured and manipulated non-invasively. Dr. Simpson and colleagues from Kansas State University have developed a mathematical model for the clinical progression of sepsis and are initiating studies to further validate the model with collection of clinical specimens and data. 

Students could find a role in any of these studies.

Nancy H. Stewart, D.O., M.S.
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
nstewart5@kumc.edu

Dr. Stewart is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Sleep Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Her current research interests focus on improving sleep health, care delivery, and outcomes of patients with sleep and lung disorders. She has completed fellowship training in pulmonary and critical care medicine, sleep medicine, medical education, and hospital research. She has lead a variety of medical education, critical care, and sleep medicine focused projects. She currently mentors high school students, medical students, and residents in research projects. She is currently working to understand the barriers to care of patients with complex overlapping sleep disturbances and COPD, health literacy and equity, and aim to develop equitable interventions to promote sleep health while decreasing acute health care utilization and readmissions in patients with COPD. To date, her research efforts have led to several publications and national presentations. 

All students joining the team will work on any of the following projects:

• Large data analysis of health system use of patients with COPD and sleep disorders
• Qualitative interviews with patients on their sleep habits
• Survey research with in-hospital healthcare teams
• Education development for sleep health

Students will be actively involved in the team and the project once joining the team.

Students could find a role in any of these studies.

Isaac K. Sundar, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care Medicine
isundar@kumc.edu

Dr. Isaac Sundar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He is the principal investigator for the NIH/NHLBI-funded R01 that is focused to understand the role of circadian clock molecule REV-ERB alpha in allergic asthma.

Dr. Sundar received his bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Madras, Chennai, India and a master’s degree in Applied Microbiology from Periyar University, Salem, India. Later, he pursued his Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India. He was extensively trained under the guidance of Prof. Irfan Rahman (University of Rochester Medical Center), a pioneer in the field of oxidative stress, lung inflammation and redox biology during his postdoctoral training. Dr. Sundar’s ongoing research interests include basic and translational aspects of circadian rhythms and their role in chronic inflammatory lung disease models. Additionally, his research will include other emerging areas such as epigenetics and chromatin remodeling role in chronic lung disease and extracellular vesicles/exosomes as novel circulating biomarkers in chronic lung disease.

Dr. Sundar is a member of the American Thoracic Society. He serves within the program and planning committee of ATS Assemblies: Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, Respiratory Structure and Function and Allergy, Immunology and Inflammation. Additionally, he recently joined the Society of Toxicology as a professional member and will be actively involved within the Central State SOT chapter in the forthcoming years.

Robert Tarran, Ph.D.
Professor & Chief
Division of Genetic, Environmental and Inhalational Disease
rtarran@kumc.edu

Dr. Tarran’s research is focused on studying how cell signaling controls inflammation and cellular remodeling during lung disease. 

Calcium is a key signaling molecule inside cells that is tightly regulated. Normally cytosolic calcium is very low, but during inflammation and fibrosis, calcium is elevated which acts as a signal, called a second messenger which drives cellular responses. Normally, these responses help fight off infection or injury and then resolve. However, persistent upregulation of the calcium response is involved in many different diseases, throughout the body.   We are interested in studying how Orai1, a key ion channel that mediates calcium entry into the cell is regulated during health and disease and in finding ways to block this channel that can be used therapeutically.

Current research is aimed at:

• Understanding how Orai1 is dysregulated in cystic fibrosis and other lung diseases
• Determining how SPLUNC1, a secreted protein can inhibit Orai1
• Studying how Orai1 dysregulation contributes to fibrosis.
• Understanding, using epidemiological approaches how SPLUNC1 dysfunction can contribute to chronic lung disease

Dr. Tarran’s research is currently supported by multiple grants from the National Institute of Health and from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Students will join a post-doctorate fellow to work on one of the above-mentioned projects and will get direct bench experience on basic laboratory techniques, cell culture and cell imaging including high throughput screening approaches.