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Tighe Laboratory

People

Current Lab Members

Robert Tighe

Principal Investigator

Dr. Robert M. Tighe M.D. is an Associate Professor of Medicine and an Associate Professor in the Environmental Natural Sciences Division at Duke University. He is Vice Chief for Research in the Division of Pulmonary Allergy and Critical Care and Director of the Duke University School of Medicine Climate and Health Research Initiative (CHeRI). He is a physician-scientist whose research is focused on defining susceptibility factors for lung effects of air pollutants.

Get in Touch: robert.tighe@duke.edu

 

 

 

Ian Cumming

Lab Research Analyst II

Ian received his B.S. in Applied Biological Sciences from the University of the West of England in 1991 and was a Doctoral candidate in Microbiology & Immunology at East Carolina University, School of Medicine.

Ian coordinates and performs flow cytometry for the Tighe Lab, Pulmonary investigators, and collaborators. His work primarily focuses on identifying immune cell populations in both animal & human models following controlled pulmonary exposure to environmental pollutants of concern. He also contributes to studies examining murine models of bone fracture and pain stress by determining the distribution & immune cell bias in multiple tissues/organs. Finally, he supports collaborative studies examining the efficacy of diagnostic XeMRI in IPF (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) patients.

Get in Touch: ian.cumming@duke.edu

 

 

Krsna Rangarajan

Lab Analyst II

Krsna began his career in the field of Neurobiology at Northwestern University and the NIH.  Afterwards, he studied the role of lymphatics in the cardiovascular system at UNC-Chapel Hill. After that, he established an in vivo neurosurgery facility in industry and is now every excited to apply his skills/knowledge to investigating the mechanisms of injuries and disease of the pulmonary system!

Get in Touch: krsna.rangarajan@duke.edu

 

 

 

Claudia Salazar

Research Program Leader

Claudia has worked in clinical research as a clinical research coordinator for over 17 years! She has primarily worked in academic research at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University and also has experience in government work with the EPA.

Claudia is responsible for managing all the finances, hiring, and onboarding for all of the Tighe Lab’s clinical research projects, as well as all Interstitial Lung Disease, Infectious Disease, and Sarcoidosis programs.

Get in Touch: claudia.salazar@duke.edu

 

 

 

Chyla Keys-Timmons

Clinical Research Coordinator

Chyla Keys-Timmons is a Lead Clinical Research Coordinator in the Tighe Lab at Duke University School of Medicine. She oversees the day-to-day activities and study management of clinical research projects, supporting successful study execution from initiation through completion. With over 10 years of experience across industry, private-sector, and federally funded research, Chyla has developed extensive expertise in patient recruitment, participant engagement, and clinical research operations. Her commitment to patient-centered research and advancing scientific discovery drives her dedication to improving patient outcomes and research excellence.

Get in Touch: chyla.keys-timmons@duke.edu

 

 

Tenley Weil

Graduate Student

Tenley earned her B.S. in Neurobiology from the University of Washington in 2018, before completing a fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health, where she studied how light affects mood-related behaviors. In graduate school, she pivoted to studying air pollution, motivated by the increase in wildfire events and peak surface temperatures in her home state. She joined Dr. Tighe’s lab because of his commitment to basic-translational research that centers human health.
As a doctoral scholar in the Tighe Lab, Tenley studies why some people respond strongly to ozone exposure while others don’t, even when otherwise healthy. Using primary human airway epithelial cells to capture real variation between individuals, her work investigates cellular-level factors that determine ozone susceptibility. Her goal is to identify susceptible populations in order to protect those most at risk.

Get in Touch: taw59@duke.edu

Cameron Rankin

Graduate Student

Cameron earned his B.S. in Biology with a major in Hispanic Studies from Davidson College in 2021. As an undergraduate, he conducted research examining the cytotoxicity of waterpipe tobacco smoke in the lung. He then spent two years at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases investigating the effect of CHIP mutations on inflammation and investigating suitability of serum biomarkers in monitoring active inflammation in Takayasu’s arteritis. He is currently a fourth-year PhD candidate in Dr. Robert Tighe’s lab where he studies the effects of air pollution, specifically ozone, on lung health. He is specifically interested in how previous lung injury affects subsequent responses to air pollution and uncovering mechanisms of injury. Outside of the lab you’ll find him either running with his run clubs or sitting at a pottery wheel!

Get in Touch: cameron.rankin@duke.edu

Zhang-fu Fang

Visiting Scientist

Dr. Zhang-fu Fang is a researcher specializing in the neuroimmune and environmental mechanisms underlying airway diseases, including allergic rhinitis, asthma, chronic cough, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Using translational models and human cohort studies, Dr. Fang has studied the roles of sensory ion channel signaling, eosinophilic inflammation, and traffic-related air pollutants in respiratory disease pathophysiology, with the goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets for airway disorders. Currently, Dr. Fang serves as a Research Scientist at Duke University, conducting interdisciplinary research through the Zhang Lab in the NSOE and the Tighe Lab in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, with a focus on investigating how particulate air pollution exposures influence airway inflammation resolution and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Get in Touch: zhangfu.fang@duke.edu

Past Lab Members

Researchers: Aaron Vose, Anastasiya Birukova, Michaela Albright

PhD Students: Marissa Guttenburg

Undergraduate Students: Kaitlyn Lewars, Jean Chung

Visiting Scientists: Bolor Mandakh, Nyam-Erdene Narmandakh

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