Author: Kaitlyn Lewars

Tenley Weil

PhD Candidate in the Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program (ITEHP)

B.S. Neurobiology with Honors University of Washington

What Tenley is working on: Tenley recently joined the Tighe lab as a first-year PhD student through the Integrated Toxicology & Environmental Health Program. She is currently working with Anastasiya on characterizing variation in human airway epithelium response to in vitro ozone exposure.

Get in Touch: tenley.weil@duke.edu

Anastasiya Birukova
Lab Manager

B.S. Environmental Biology at International Environmental Sakharov University, Minsk, Belarus
M.S. Immunology at International Environmental Sakharov University, Minsk, Belarus

What Anastasiya is working on: Anastasiya is studying the barrier function of human airway epithelium and mouse trachea epithelium after in vitro ozone exposure. Additionally, she is studying the role of the macrophage receptor Marco in clearance of low molecular weight fragments of hyaluronan in lung.

Get in Touch: anastasiya.birukova@duke.edu

Kaitlyn Lewars
Undergraduate Researcher

Double Majoring in Biology and Global Health at Duke University

What Kaitlyn is working on: The objective of Kaitlyn’s research project is to determine the effects of aging on ozone induced lung injury and inflammation with a focus on differential gene expression.

Get in touch: kaitlyn.lewars@duke.edu

Robert Tighe
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care
Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences and Policy 

B.S. History Northwestern University
M.D. University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Resident, Internal Medicine, Boston University
Chief Residency, Internal Medicine, Boston Medical Center
Fellowship, Pulmonary And Critical Care, Duke University

Get in Touch: robert.tighe@duke.edu

Claudia Salazar
Clinical Research Coordinator

B.S. Biology UNC Chapel Hill 2003
Certificate Public Health Leadership UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health 2018

What Claudia is working on: Facilitate the day to day activities and study management of actively enrolling studies and studies in the start-up phase.  Current projects include:
Genentech MRI Study (Pro00101911) – “Using Xenon MRI to Evaluate the Efficacy of Therapies for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis” – actively enrolling
BI MRI ILD Study (Pro00109322)- “Using ¹²⁹Xenon MRI to Evaluate the Response to Therapies and progression in Interstitial Lung Disease” – actively enrolling
MOZEPH Study (Pro00100375)- “Mechanisms of Ozone-Induced Alterations in Efferocytosis and Phagocytosis” – actively enrolling
ONES Study (Pro00088966)- “CXCL10/CXCR3 Regulation of Ozone-Induced Epithelial Permeability”- actively enrolling
MOLI Study (Pro00110603) – “Macrophage Regulation of Ozone-Induced Lung Inflammation”- study start-up

Get in Touch: claudia.salazar@duke.edu

Ian Cumming
Lab Research Analyst II

B.S. Applied Biological Sciences University of the West of England 1991
Doctoral candidate (incomplete) in Microbiology & Immunology East Carolina University, School of Medicine 1995

What Ian is working on:

1. Coordinate & support flow cytometry work for the Tighe Lab, other Pulmonary investigators & Duke / non-Duke collaborators. Principally, sample preparation/staining, acquisition & analyses of immune cell populations in both animal & human models subsequent to controlled pulmonary exposure to environmental pollutants of concern (Ozone, Carbon Black et al).
2. Contribute flow cytometry to studies examining murine models of bone fracture & pain stress. Specifically determining the distribution & immune cell bias in multiple tissues/organs.
3. Support collaborative studies examining the efficacy of diagnostic XeMRI in IPF (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) patients. Coordinate the accession & processing of patient samples.

Get in Touch: ian.cumming@duke.edu

Aaron Vose
Instructor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care

B.S. Biology UNC Chapel Hill 2009
M.D. Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina 2014
Residency: Internal Medicine- University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Chief Residency: Internal Medicine- University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Fellowship: Pulmonary and Critical Care- Duke University 

What Aaron is working on: Aaron’s work focuses on how systemic metabolic disease alters the function of alveolar epithelial type II (AT2) cells, and the impact this has on the ability of AT2 cells to direct repair following environmental injury stimuli.

Get in Touch: aaron.vose@duke.edu

Michaela Albright
Research Technician II

Associates in Applied Science from Alamance Community College

She is currently pursuing a Bachelors in Biology at North Carolina Central University

What Michaela is working on: Mouse Colony Manager, Environmental Exposures

Get in Touch: michaela.albright@duke.edu

Marissa Guttenberg

PhD Candidate in the Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program (ITEHP)

B.S. Nanoscale Science with a Concentration in Biology SUNY Polytechnic Institute College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering

What Marissa is working on: Marissa’s work focuses on understanding the physiologic and mechanistic response to acute ozone exposure. She specifically studies the role of macrophage subsets following ozone-induced injury and defining a potential mechanism of resolution, through the L-Arginine pathway.

Get in Touch: marissa.guttenberg@duke.edu