Faculty

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David A. Schwartz, MD

Director, Center for Genes, Environment & Health

Chair, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver

Professor, Medicine, Pediatrics, and Immunology, National Jewish Health and the University of Colorado Denver

Education:

University of California, San Diego, MD, 1975-1979
Boston City Hospital, Residency and Chief Resident, Internal Medicine, 1980-1984
Harvard School of Public Health, MPH, 1984-1985
Harvard School of Public Health, Residency, Occupational Medicine, 1984-1985
University of Washington, Fellow, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, 1985-1988
University of Washington, Robert Woods Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, 1985-1988

Background:

Throughout his career, Dr. Schwartz has made numerous contributions toward understanding the role that biological and genetic determinants play in the onset of diseases that are influenced by environmental exposures. These efforts have provided new insights into the genetics, epigenetics, and genomics of interstitial lung disease, asthma, and innate immunity. Prior to joining National Jewish Health in 2008, Dr. Schwartz served as Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). During his tenure at the NIH, he developed the Genes, Environment and Health Initiative, the Epigenomics and Human Health Initiative, and a program in translational research in environmental sciences. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians, and the recipient of the 2003 American Thoracic Society Scientific Accomplishment Award. Dr. Schwartz oversees the research at Center for Genes, Environment & Health specializing in innate immunity and host defense, the genetics of interstitial lung disease, epigenetics of asthma and determining gene-environment interactions.

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Ivana Yang, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver and Center for Genes, Environment & Health, National Jewish Health

Education:

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, PhD, 2000
The Institute for Genomic Research, Fellow, Functional Genomics, 2001-2003

Background:

Dr. Yang's responsibilities are divided equally between primary research and the development of the Center for Genes, Environment & Health. Her current research focus is on the role of genetics and epigenetics in innate immunity, pulmonary fibrosis, and asthma. One of Dr. Yang's specific research interests is the identification of novel innate immune genes in mice by using genetic and genomic approaches and then testing polymorphisms in human orthologs of candidate genes for association with infection in patient cohorts. She is a co-director of another innate immunity project that aims to understand how environmental exposures such as ozone influence the expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the lung, and how this alteration in TLR expression has profound effects on lung host defense and consequently the development of lung infections and allergic airway disease. Dr. Yang also co-leads projects aiming to understand the role of epigenetic regulation, specifically DNA methylation, in the development of asthma in humans. Finally, she participates in the Lung Genomics Research Consortium, a multi-center consortium that aims to establish a comprehensive genetic, molecular, and quantitative clinical phenotyping warehouse for chronic lung diseases. 

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Scott Alper, PhD

Assistant Professor

Education:

Harvard University, PhD, 1996

Background:

Diseases of the immune system such as sepsis, asthma, and atherosclerosis affect millions of people worldwide, and the incidence of many of these diseases is rising. Dr. Alper's lab is focused on understanding the regulation of the innate immune response, particularly as it relates to the basis for such immunological diseases. He is using a comparative genomics approach in the nematode C. elegans and mammalian cell culture to identify novel regulators of the innate immune response.

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Gregory P. Cosgrove, MD, FCCP

Assistant Professor

Education:

Hahnemann University School of Medicine, MD, 1995
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Chief Medical Resident, 1998-1999
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Internal Medicine, 1995-1998
University of Colorado Denver, Fellow, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, 1999-2000

Background:

Dr. Cosgrove's research is focused on the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the lung’s response to injury and predisoposition to fibroproliferation. He is a member of the Interstitial Lung Disease Program and an active participant in its clinical and research programs. In collaboration with the other members of the ILD Program, Dr. Cosgrove investigates novel therapies for the treatment of interstitial lung disease.

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Sonia M. Leach, PhD

Assistant Professor

Education:

Bucknell University, BS, Computer Science and Engineering
Brown University, ScM, Computer Science
Brown University, PhD, Computer Science
University of Colorado Denver, Postdoctoral, Computational Pharmacology Group
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven Belgium, Postdoctoral, Bioinformatics Group

Background:

Dr. Leach's responsibilities at the Center for Genes, Environment & Health are to develop computational algorithms for the analysis and interpretation of genomic and proteomic datasets. She is particularly interested in methods which integrate diverse types of genomic data in order to explain high-throughput data results and prioritize those results for further follow-up studies. Dr. Leach is also an Assistant Professor in the Computational Bioscience Program at University of Colorado Denver.

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Brian O'Connor, PhD

Assistant Professor

Education:

Dartmouth College Immunology, PhD, 2003
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Postdoctoral Fellow, 2008

Background:

In recent years, epigenetic mechanisms, such as histone modification and DNA methylation, have been identified which, translate environmental signals into gene regulation. These molecular epigenetic processes, translate the myriad environmental signals encountered each day, into definitive regulation of our genome and, by extension, who we are at a basic biological level.

Dr. O'Connor is focused on understanding, at a molecular and organismal level, how epigenetic mechanisms regulate the decision processes governing immune cell activity in the context of disease. The immune system is comprised of multiple types of autonomous cells that must work together to influence the outcome of disease. At a basic level, gene expression controls the identity and function of the various immune cells. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as histone modification and DNA methylation, translate the environmental signals encountered by immune cells into regulation of gene expression, cell function and ultimately, cell identity and fate determination. Current research projects are focused on understanding how lung inflammation (asthma/allergy) affects the epigenetic signature of lung immune cells (dendritic cells & B cells) and the mechanisms through which epigenetic mechanisms influence the generation of immune memory.

Marvin Schwarz, MD

Affiliate

Education:

Bard College, BA, 1960
Tulane University, MD 1964
Charity Hospital of Louisiana, Intern, 1964-1965
Charity Hospital of Louisiana, Resident, 1965-1967
Tulane University School of Medicine, Fellow, Pulmonary, 1967-1969

Background:

Dr. Schwarz is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado of Denver and an expert in interstitial lung disease (ILD). He has been involved in a number of clinical and research projects in ILD for a number of years, including the familial pulmonary fibrosis study (FPF). Dr. Schwarz is especially recognized for understanding the determinants of disease progression in idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP). He is currently focusing on how genetic variants in pulmonary fibrosis associated genes contribute to the progression of IIP. Dr. Schwarz is internationally recognized for his contributions to clinical care, training, and research, and is the recipient of the Trudeau Award from the American Thoracic Society.

Faculty Profile

Max Seibold, PhD

Research Instructor

Education:

University of California-San Francisco, PhD, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomic, 2008

Background:

Dr. Seibold's research aims to accomplish three main goals: 1) use genetic epidemiology to identify risk factors for respiratory diseases; 2) determine the molecular mechanism underlying these genetic risk factor effects; 3) use model organisms and cell systems to determine how these molecular effects fit into the pathology of the disease. Specific interests include human genetics, epigenetics, genetic ancestry in admixed populations, pulmonary fibrosis, and asthma.

Michael Strong, PhD

Assistant Professor

Education:

University of California, Los Angeles, PhD
Harvard Medical School, Postdoctoral, Department of Genetics

Background:

The past decade has marked an exciting transformation in the biological sciences, from that of studying individual genes and pathways to instead studying entire genomes, proteomes, and metagenomic communities. As a result, Dr. Strong is very interested in developing synergistic genomic and computational strategies to better utilize, integrate, and analyze biological datasets from a systems biology perspective, incorporating elements of genetics, molecular biology, protein network analysis, and structure biology. Much of his work centers on respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis, and his goal as a researcher is to use modern genomic and computational methods to identify and investigate the molecular mechanisms of disease and to suggest more effective strategies to combat disease and drug resistance.