Claire M. Doerschuk, MD

EMAIL: cmd@med.unc.edu

PERSONAL WEBSITE: https://www.med.unc.edu/marsicolunginstitute/directory/claire-m-doerschuk-md/

PUBLICATIONS: Publications Link

MENTORS: Medical Students, Graduate Students

My research interests address host defense mechanisms in the lungs, particularly the inflammatory and innate immune processes that are important in the pathogenesis and course of bacterial pneumonia and acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome, diseases which affect both the pediatric and the adult population. Basic and translational studies address the mechanisms of host defense during pneumonia in response to both sterile stimuli and pathogens that cause common and clinically important community-acquired and nosocomial pneumonias. Our focus is on the mechanisms of leukocyte recruitment and function, particularly neutrophils and the subpopulations of lung macrophages in pneumonia and ARDS. Studies of leukocyte kinetics include leukocyte adhesion and migration into lung tissue and the function of neutrophils and macrophages within the infected lungs. A current focus aims to understand neutrophil and macrophage heterogeneity and the function of the adhesion molecule ICAM-1 expressed by parenchymal and immune cells. Other studies address immune responses and host defense to combustion products from fires and burn pits. Our ultimate goal in all our studies is to utilize this knowledge to identify therapies that enhance the inflammatory and immune response when it is beneficial to the host and dampen these responses when it is harmful.