Benjamin J Wilkins, MD, PhD

faculty photo
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Faculty Director, Immunohistochemistry laboratory, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Faculty Director, Pathology research core, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Faculty Director, New Faculty Mentoring Division of Anatomic Pathology Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Department: Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Contact information
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Main Hospital 5NW08
3401 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 267-426-0174
Fax: 215-590-1736
Education:
B.S. (Biology)
John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio, 1998.
Ph.D. (Molecular and Developmental Biology)
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2004.
M.D.
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2006.
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Description of Clinical Expertise

I am a board-certified pediatric anatomic pathologist. My clinical interest and expertise is in the diagnosis of pediatric gastrointestinal and liver disease. Particular areas of interest include neonatal cholestasis, very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD), and Hirschsprung disease. In addition to these areas, I sign out cases encompassing a wide spectrum of pediatric pathology, including perinatal pathology (fetal autopsy and placenta), pediatric autopsy, and surgical pathology of neoplastic, medical, and congenital diseases.

Description of Research Expertise

My research focus is on collaborative studies that characterize phenotypes related to gastrointestinal and liver diseases in human subjects and animal models (mouse and zebrafish). Current studies include multiple projects related to eosinophilic esophagitis; clinicopathologic study of bile duct paucity in neonatal cholestasis; liver fibrosis in patients with long-standing single ventricle (Fontan) physiology; and histopathologic characterization of patients with very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD). My prior laboratory research focused primarily on the role of CIRH1A in liver development using zebrafish as a model system, and mechanisms whereby the recessive CIRH1A R565W mutation found in patients with Progressive Cholestasis of Northwestern Quebec (formerly North American Indian Childhood Cirrhosis) lead to congenital biliary disease.

Selected Publications

Sharma S, Magnitsky S, Reesey E, Schwartz M, Haroon S, Lavorato M, Chan S, Xiao R, Wilkins BJ, Martinez D, Seiler C, Falk MJ.: Novel Development of Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Quantify the Structural Anatomic Growth of Diverse Organs in Adult and Mutant Zebrafish. Zebrafish 21(1): 28-38, Feb 2024.

Wilkins BJ, Ruchelli ED, Liacouras CA, Muir AB: Esophageal Disorders in Childhood. Pathology of Pediatric Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. Russo P, Ruchelli ED, Piccoli DA (eds.). Springer, 2024 Notes: In Press.

Shaul E, Kennedy KV, Spergel ZC, Daneshdoost S, Mahon M, Thanawala S, Spergel JM, Ryan MJ, Wilkins BJ, Muir AM: Endoscopic and histologic utility of transnasal endoscopy in pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2024 Notes: Accepted for publication.

Eisenberg JD, Graham KD, Ceron RH, Lemke A, Wilkins BJ, Naji A, Heuckeroth RO: Three-dimensional imaging of the enteric nervous system in human pediatric colon reveals new features of Hirschsprung disease. Gastroenterology 2024 Notes: Accepted for publication.

Wilkins BJ, Loomes KL: Hepatocellular and Intrahepatic Cholestasis. Pathology of Pediatric Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. Russo P, Ruchelli ED, Piccoli DA (eds.). Springer, 2024 Notes: In press.

Danan CH, Naughton KE, Hayer KE, Vellappan S, McMillan EA, Zhou Y, Matsuda R, Nettleford SK, Katada K, Parham LR, Ma X, Chowdhury A, Wilkins BJ, Shah P, Weitzman MD, Hamilton KE.: Intestinal transit amplifying cells require METTL3 for growth factor signaling and cell survival. JCI Insight Page: e171657, Oct 2023.

Ali RQ, Meyer-Miner A, David-Rachel M, Lee FJH, Wilkins BJ, Karpen SJ, Ciruna B, Ghanekar A, Kamath BM.: Loss of zebrafish pkd1l1 causes biliary defects that have implications for biliary atresia splenic malformation. Dis Model Mech 16: dmm049326, Oct 2023.

K Grenier, T Bhatti, B Wilkins, J Kalish: Genome-Wide Paternal Uniparental Isodisomy: Adding Pancreatic Well-Differentiated Neuroendocrine Neoplasms to the Spectrum of Associated Pathologies. Pediatr Dev Pathol 26(5): 537, Sept/Oct 2023.

Lynch KL, Benitez AJ, Godwin B, Klein J, Savant D, Wilkins BJ, Menard-Katcher C, Gluckman C, Falk GW, Muir A.: THE SLENDER ESOPHAGUS: UNRECOGNIZED ESOPHAGEAL NARROWING IN EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS. Clin Transl Gastroenterol 14(4): e00564, Apr 2023.

Martinelli M, Aguilar G, Lee DSM, Kromer A, Nguyen N, Wilkins BJ, Akimova T, Beier UH, Ghanem LR.: The poly(C)-binding protein Pcbp2 is essential for CD4(+) T cell activation and proliferation. iScience 26(1): 105860, Dec 2022.

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Last updated: 03/12/2024
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