The main focus of Dr. Rollins-Smith's research is host pathogen interactions using amphibian model systems. Currently, her laboratory is pursuing a number of questions concerning the nature of innate and adaptive immune defenses in frog skin. Understanding the immune defense mechanisms of amphibians has taken on increased importance in recent years because of the urgent problem of global amphibian declines. Little is known about the conventional adaptive immune response against Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a skin pathogen associated with global amphibian declines. Ongoing studies have shown that B. dendrobatidis releases factors which inhibit lymphocyte responses. Current research investigates the specific mechanisms by which this fungus escapes immune clearance.

Another focus of her research is the study of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in frog skin in defense against bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens. Her lab uses MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry to examine the profiles of skin peptides and growth inhibition assays to test the ability of purified AMPs and natural mixtures of skin peptides to interfere with growth of specific pathogens that have been associated with global amphibian declines. They continue to try to determine whether some species have better peptide defenses against specific pathogens than other species.

Another newer area of research is the effects of temperature on immune defenses of local Tennessee amphibians. This relates to the question of how climate change may impact southern amphibians. A new species of Batrachochytrium (B. salamandrivorans) threatens native amphibian species. With collaborators, she is also studying the role of skin microbiota as protectors of amphibians fromBatrachochytrium pathogens.

Dr. Hartnett's research focuses on helping to develop novel methods of identification of ASD in adolescent and adult populations.

My research on medication choices and the effect on post-operative mechanical ventilation revealed that meticulous post-operatively pain and sedation management allows for less opioid exposure and early liberation from ventilator support after cardiac surgery, even for the youngest patients. My more recent publications include a novel approach to analyze high fidelity hemodynamic data including millions of beat-to-beat systolic blood pressure measurements surrounding recorded medication administration in our PCICU. The development of algorithms around therapies and interventions in the ICU using expert systems allows the analysis of time-series data. This provides insight to clinicians who can be prepared to intervene and act accordingly, improving outcomes for these critically ill children. This work in big data sets has led to my pursuit of board certification in Clinical Informatics and membership with the Alliance of AI in Medicine and Pediatric Centers of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (PCAIM).

Dr. Aamodt’s research focuses on the microenvironmental, molecular and genetic factors involved in development of the endocrine pancreas and diabetes pathophysiology with the goal of identifying new strategies to treat diabetes.

Diabetes is a worsening health crisis not only in the adult population but also with increasing incidence of both type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D) diabetes in the pediatric population. It is often during the first decade of life when patients begin to develop β cell-directed autoimmunity (T1D) or manifest reduced β cell capacity to compensate for insulin resistance (T2D). Pancreatic development is ongoing during this pediatric period including establishment of β cell mass, functional β cell and islet maturation, and dynamic changes in islet composition and architecture. Using a multiomics approach, Dr. Aamodt is working to define the spatial and temporal molecular processes that regulate postnatal pancreas and islet development which is a critical step toward developing new diagnostic tools and strategies for prevention and treatment of both T1D and T2D.

Dr. Cassini's research focuses on finding diagnoses for individuals who have not been diagnosed via typical clinical evaluation and testing. This is accomplished through multidisciplinary specialist evaluations, novel bioinformatics techniques, emerging testing technologies, and collaborative basic science research. This approach also has the potential to further scientific understanding of disease mechanisms, such as new disease gene associations and validation of variant pathogenicity.

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