Medicine Grand Rounds – M. Leigh Anne Daniels, MD, MPH, & Rob Tarran, PhD – “Vaping-Related Lung Injury”

Leigh Anne Daniels has an interest in the diagnosis and management of patients with all causes of bronchiectasis, including cystic fibrosis and primary ciliary dyskinesia. Extending from her clinical experience with these patients, her research focuses on discovering the genetic variations that contribute to the development of idiopathic bronchiectasis (or bronchiectasis without a known cause). These patients have a characteristic body type; individuals often have scoliosis and/or sternal abnormalities, mitral valve prolapse, and are very flexible. They are frequently infected with non-tuberculous mycobacterium, and many have family members with bronchiectasis. She is part of the research endeavors of the Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance Consortium and the Bronchiectasis Research Registry

Prof. Tarran received his BSc (hons) from The University of Leeds and his PhD in Physiology from Newcastle University, UK.  He completed post-doctoral research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of California at Berkley. Prof. Tarran is currently a professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at UNC-Chapel Hill, and holds membership in UNC’s Lineberger Cancer Center and Marsico Lung Institute.  Prof. Tarran’s research interests have centered on the role of ion channels in chronic lung diseases.  Over the last 5 years, he has been studying the effects of e-cigarettes on the lung and has published some of the first studies on vaping in human lungs.