Medical Student, Graduate Student, and Postdoctoral Research Training in the Division of Gastroenterology
The Division of Gastroenterology includes faculty with diverse interests in basic and translational research in GI cancer, gut development and function, and liver immunology, regeneration, and fibrosis. All research faculty are members of the NIDDK-funded Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases; they are affiliated with a variety of graduate groups, centers, and institutes across the University. Members of the faculty teach undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate courses at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Graduate Training
Members of the division are members of a variety of graduate groups overseeing study for the Ph.D. degree and are closely affiliated with the MD/PhD program and medical student research training programs. Students interested in graduate training should contact the appropriate program and are also encouraged to discuss specific research interests with individual faculty members
Research projects are available in the laboratories of the following investigators:
Kyong-Mi Chang, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Cellular immunity and the outcome of hepatitis C virus infection
Jonathan Katz, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Functional analyses of gastrointestinal epithelial proliferation, differentiation, and carcinogenesis
John Lynch, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Mechanisms governing intestinal epithelial cell differentiation as well as cell-cell adhesion and its role in intestinal epithelial cell development
Hiroshi Nakagawa, MD, PhD
Research Associate Professor of Medicine
Michael Pack, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Identification of genes that direct organogenesis of the vertebrate digestive tract using the zebrafish as a model organism
Andrew Rhim, MD
Instructor of Medicine
Anil Rustgi, MD
T. Grier Miller Professor of Medicine and Genetics
Epithelial cell differentiation and oncogenesis, molecular genetics of GI cancers (upper GI, pancreatic, colon)
Ben Stanger, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Assistant Investigator, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute
Development of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract; growth regulation in pancreas and liver
Rebecca Wells, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
TGF-beta signaling and receptor function; molecular mechanisms of liver fibrosis
Gary Wu, MD
Professor of Medicine
The gut microbiome and regulation of host metabolism
The Division additionally supports a vigorous program in clinical epidemiology. Individuals interested in training in Clinical Epidemiology should contact the Gastroenterology faculty members below or the graduate program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
Meenakshi Bewtra, MD, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Kimberly Forde, MD, MHS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
James Lewis, MD, MSCE
Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology
Senior Scholar, CCEB
Safety and efficacy of treatment strategies for inflammatory bowel disease
Yu-Xiao Yang, MD, MSCE
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Senior Scholar, CCEB
The effects of common pharmaceutical agents and common chronic illness on gastrointestinal diseases, particularly gastrointestinal malignancies
Postdoctoral Opportunities
There are multiple opportunities available for postdoctoral work in the division, some funded by the NIH-sponsored training grants. Inquires should be directed to individual faculty members as listed above. The Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs office oversees all postdoctoral programs at the University of Pennsylvania, providing orientation sessions, career guidance, and a wide variety of career development workshops and seminars.
Research Training for Medical Students
There are opportunities for medical students at the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions to conduct clinical and basic research in the division. Interested students are encouraged to contact individual faculty members.
For further information http://www.med.upenn.edu/mdresearchopps Funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the NIDDK, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute may be available to support eligible students.