Postdoctorals

Tim Bedient, MD

Fellow, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

Education:

University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, MD, 2001-2005
Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University in St. Louis, Internal Medicine Residency 2005-2008

Background:

Dr. Bedient's research examines the genetic factors that predispose individuals to developing pulmonary fibrosis and non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infections. He is especially interested in genetic mapping, specifically family linkage studies and genome wide association studies, and determining how the discovered genetic polymorphisms interact with the environment to contribute to disease pathogenesis.

Kelsey Gray, MD

Education:

University of California, MD, San Francisco
University of California, Berkeley, MS, Health and Medical Sciences

Background:

Dr. Gray was born and raised in California. She played tennis competitively in high school and college. Following her graduation from Mills College, where she was nominated to the Phi Beta Kappa society, she worked as a Research Technician for the Medical Technology Program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She then matriculated into the UC San Francisco-UC Berkeley Joint Medical Program where she pursued an interest in epidemiology, completing a Master of Science in addition to an MD. Her thesis focused upon the psychosocial aspects of hypertension management in the Hmong living in the Central Valley of California. Dr. Gray completed her Internal Medicine residency at the University of Colorado and served as a Chief Medical Resident for the Program. Currently, Dr. Gray is a Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellow at the University of Colorado. Her project in the laboratory focuses upon how vitamin D modulates the epigenetic signature in lung dendritic cells.

Jian Jing, MD, PhD

Education:

Shanxi Medical University, MD, Clinical Medicine, 1999
Peking University Health Science Center, MS, Cell Biology and Genetics, 2002
University of Colorado Denver, PHD, Cell Biology, Stem cell and Development, 2010

Background:

Inflammation is tightly regulated to avoid extensive tissue damage which can lead to severe diseases. Innate immune cells like monocytes and macrophages play a pivotal role in this process. The exaggeration and long lasting response will contribute to body damage. The protective mechanisms are to develop a "tolerance state" which they became refractory to subsequent toxic challenge. The molecular mechanisms are in multiple levels. Dr. Jing's current research is to explore epigenetic regulatory mechanisms on tolerance macrophages/monocytes.

HC Long, PhD

Education:

West China Medical School, Sichuan University, PhD

Background:

Dr. Long is interested in researching the relationship of toll-like receptor polymorphism and innate immunity as well as the mechanistic study of asthmatic airway inflammation and remodeling.

Judy Oakes, PhD

Education:

University of North Carolina at Charlotte, BS, Biology; BA, Psychology 
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, PhD, Biology

Background:

Dr. Oakes dissertation work focused on mucosal immunology and oral immunotherapies such as oral vaccines and oral treatments for allergies and autoimmune diseases. As a research fellow in the Center for Genes, Environment & Health, Dr. Oakes's goal is to understand how and why air pollution alters lung host defense. It is a well established fact that air pollution accounts for substantial morbidity and mortality throughout the world, including lung infections and preventable deaths in children. Dr. Oakes is focused on investigating the influence of these environmental factors, specifically ozone and endotoxin, and genetic factors on the expression of toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the lung. The working hypothesis is that these environmental pollutants influence lung host defense and consequently the development of lung infections and allergic airway disease.