Tim Lahm, MD
Principal Investigator
303.270.2234
LahmT@NJHealth.org
Education
MD - University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, 2000
Internship, Anesthesiology and Thoracic Surgery - University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany, 2002
Residency, Internal Medicine - Indiana University School of Medicine, 2005
Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellowship - Indiana University School of Medicine, 2008
Background
Tim is a physician scientist in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at National Jewish Health with a focus on the study of sexual dimorphisms in lung vascular remodeling and right ventricular (RV) adaptation in pulmonary hypertension (PH). He serves as the Director of Pulmonary Vascular Biology at NJH. The overall goal of his research is to identify novel therapeutic interventions for PH-induced RV and lung vascular dysfunction. In particular, he is interested in gender differences in PH and the role of sex hormones in PH and RV failure. His laboratory is studying mechanisms of how sex hormones such as 17β-estradiol affect lung and RV endothelial cell homeostasis as well as cardiomyocyte function during PH and RV failure development. A specific focus is on deciphering how estrogen receptor alpha promotes resilience to maladaptive RV remodeling by regulating angiogenesis, contractile signaling and inflammatory processes. Other areas of interest in Tim’s lab include studies of hypoxia-induced lung vascular and RV remodeling, neurohormonal signaling in the RV, exercise effects on RV function, and novel PH phenotypes in the veteran population. Tim’s lab recently expanded its studies of sexually dimorphic lung diseases to study androgen signaling in asthma and to identify mechanisms of how androgens modulate airway epithelial cell function. Tim’s research is funded through the NIH and the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is heavily involved with multiple professional societies and currently serves as the Chair of the American Thoracic Society Pulmonary Circulation Assembly. He is particularly proud of his mentoring record and feels fortunate that he is able to work with outstanding students, postdocs, fellows and junior faculty. Seeing these people develop their careers and exhibit personal growth is the most rewarding aspect of his career.
Tim’s clinical interest is in PH, RV failure and lymphangioleiomyomatosis - conditions that exhibit significant gender biases and that disproportionally affect women. He is also passionate about critical care medicine and provides care to critically ill patients in the intensive care unit.
When he is not writing about himself in the third person, Tim enjoys mountain biking, paddle boarding, sailing, skiing, hiking, camping, cooking, exploring microbreweries, and spending time with his wife, three kids, two dogs and cat (all of which are foodicisits).
Simon Bousseau, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
303.270.2234
BousseauS@NJHealth.org
Education
University of Angers, Angers, France, 2012-2018
Institut Catholique d’Etudes superieures, La Roche sur Yon, France, 2010-2012
Background
Simon has completed his PhD in France in 2018, describing the beneficial properties of a pharmacological compound, Phostin 3.1a, which increases angiogenesis and reverses the metabolic Warburg effect in Glioblastoma associated endothelial cells. After two years in industry, he has joined the Lahm lab in January 2021 to study the role of estrogen on both angiogenesis and endothelial metabolism in the context of pulmonary hypertension.
Rafael Fais, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
sobranofaisr@njhealth.org
303.270.2234
Education
University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Medical School, PHD, 2016-2020
University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Medical School, MS, 2014-2016
University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Medical School, BS, 2016-2020
Background
Rafael is now a postdoctoral research fellow at National Jewish Health. While he was doing his bachelor’s at Ribeirao Preto Medical School, his under-graduation work focused on the central mechanisms of pain control mainly the descending serotoninergic and noradrenergic pathways. Subsequently, on his master’s worked he worked on the endothelin-1 induced inflammation in erectile tissue, focused on the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. During his PhD he also worked on investigating endothelin-1-induced NLRP3 activation in DOCA/salt model of hypertension, focused on the erectile and vascular function impairment promoted by the NLRP3 inflammasome. Additionally, he has been working on the crosstalk between sex hormone signaling and NLRP3 inflammasome in right ventricle in pulmonary hypertension.
Vijaya Karoor PhD
Assistant Professor
Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine
University of Colorado Denver
karoorv@njhealth.org
Education
PhD in Biochemistry Indian Institute of Sciences Bangalore India
Background
I have a joint appointment at University of Colorado Denver and National Jewish Health. My research is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of hypoxia and induced vascular remodeling in lung diseases with particular emphasis in COPD. In addition, I am studying the effects of alveolar hypoxia on lung carcinogenesis.
Jiajun Li, MS
Graduate Student
lij@njhealth.org
303.270.2234
Education
University of Colorado | Anschutz Medical Campus, 2021-current
Illinois Institute of Technology, MS, 2017
Ocean University of China, BS, 2015
Background
Jiajun is now a PhD at University of Colorado | Anschutz Medical Campus. While he was doing his master’s at Illinois Institute of Technology, his work focused on an isoform of Bax (BaxΔ2) and its microsatellite variation in colon cancer cell lines. He subsequently worked on a BMPR2 mutation found in patients with hereditary pulmonary hypertension and investigated the effects of fibroblasts on vascular remodeling. He has also been working on investigating the effects of pre-conditioning stimulus on the metabolic properties of iPSC-CM which may help to enhance cardiac regeneration. Now, his project is focused on effects of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) on endothelial cell function in right heart failure.
Liliana Moreno-Vinasco, PhD
Senior Researcher
303.270.2082
morenovinascol@NJHealth.org
Education
Postdoctoral research fellowship, 05/2004-04/2005, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Pulmonary & Critical Care Division.
Doctor in Philosophy, 09/1997-05/2004, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, Environmental Health Sciences, Division of Respiratory Biology.
Master in Science, 09/1991-02/1994, Universidad de Cartagena, Cartagena Colombia, Immunology.
Bachelor in Science, 09/1985-12/1989, Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá Colombia, Bacteriology.
Background
Liliana has expertise in animal models of human diseases including pulmonary hypertension, ARDS, and asthma.
Following her graduate studies in Environmental Health Sciences at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at The Johns Hopkins University, she did a postdoctoral research in Pulmonary & Critical Care Division at Johns Hopkins University. From 2005-2010, Liliana was a Res-Assistant professor with the University of Chicago where her primary role was leading the pre-clinical studies on hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension in rat models. From 2010-2014, Liliana worked at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Here she was part of an EPA funded project looking at the role of particulate matter on asthma and cardiac exacerbations. In 2014 Liliana moved to Northwestern University as a Res-Associate professor to study asthma-allergic models of eosinophilia. A collaboration formed here led to moving to the University of Arizona in 2017 to study ARDS. These projects involved endotoxins, mechanical-ventilations, and radiation induced lung injury models. Currently Liliana is a senior investigator in the Lahm Lab.
Liliana's hobbies are swimming, biking, yoga, and enjoys her spare time with her hubby and her doggie Ema.
Avram Walts, MS
Senior Professional Research Assistant
Laboratory Manager
303.270.2234
WaltsA@NJHealth.org
Education
B.S., UCLA, 1996
M.S., University of Michigan, 1999
Background
Avram recently joined the Lahm Lab as the lab manger. He previously worked on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Stat3 signaling at both the University of Colorado and the National Institutes of Health. He and his wife can often be found outdoors hiking, camping, or skiing. Avram is also an amateur photographer.