Lab Members

Our Staff

Photo of Barbara Rehermann

Barbara Rehermann received her M.D. degree from Medizinische Hochschule, Hannover, Germany with an experimental doctoral thesis on signal transduction in lymphocyte activation.  She conducted postgraduate clinical training in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, and a research fellowship in the Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, studying the immunopathogenesis of HBV infection.   Since 2004 she is a tenured senior investigator in the Liver Diseases Branch, NIDDK and chief of the Immunology Section.

Our Fellows

Photo of Jihoon Oh.
Ji Hoon Oh, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2018-present

Ji Hoon Oh received his Ph.D. degree from Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea studying virus-induced type I interferon in NK cell-mediated tumor surveillance. His research interest is the regulation of immune responses by the microbiome.

Jun Seishima
Jun Seishima, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2020-present

Jun Seishima received both his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Kanazawa University, Japan and completed training in gastroenterology and hepatology at the same university. Currently, he studies tissue-specific immune responses to viral infections.

Photo of Shahar Azar.
Shahar Azar, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2020-present

Shahar Azar received his Ph.D. degree from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel studying the endocannaboid system in fatty liver disease. As a postdoctoral fellow he is interested in understanding the effect of microbiota on host metabolism.

Tomoaki Yoshida, M.D. Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2021-present

Tomoaki Yoshida is a gastroenterologist/hepatologist from Niigata University School of Medicine, Japan. He received his Ph.D. degree for research on the role of microbiota in liver disease carcinogenesis. During his postdoctoral fellowship, he is interested in studying the role of microbiota in liver disease.

Photo of Keisuke Fukutomi
Keisuke Fukutomi, M.D. Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2022-present

Keisuke Fukutomi is a gastroenterologist and hepatologist who received both his M.D. and Ph.D. degree from Osaka University, Japan. At Osaka University, he studied capsid allosteroic modulators and innate immune responses in hepatitis B virus infection. At NIH he is conducting translational studies on immune responses to hepatitis B and D viruses in clinical studies.

Priya Singh
Priya Singh
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2022-present

Priya Singh graduated from the College of William & Mary College in May 2022 with a B.S. in Biology. She also has four years of research experience through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Freshman Research Program. In the immunology section, she studies adaptive immune responses in hepatitis B virus infection.

Greta Baker
Greta Baker
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2022-present

Greta Baker joined the section as a postbaccalaureate student after receiving her B.S. in Biology from William & Mary College. In her undergraduate studies she obtained research experience studying the effect of low-level methylmercury exposure on the gut microbiome of zebra finches. In the immunology section she is conducting microbiome studies in mammals.

Our Alumni: Former Postdoctoral Fellows

Heiner Wedemeyer, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 1998-2000

Current position:
Professor and Chair, Dept. of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Medical School
Hannover, Germany.

Eishiro Mizukoshi, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 1999-2001

Current position:
Associate Professor, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.

Michelina Nascimbeni, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 1999–2005

Current position:
Professeur des écoles, Académie de Paris, Paris, France.

Fareed Rahman, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2000-2002

Current position:
Lecturer and attending (academic physician scientist), First Medical Clinic and Policlinic, Johannes-Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.

Heiko Mix, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2001-2003 

Current position:
Internist, Praxis Polonius, Hille, Germany.

Tobias Manigold, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2001-2003

Current position:
Head, Rehabilitation and Rheumatology, RehaClinic AG, Zuerich, Switzerland.

Vito Racanelli, M.D.
 Postdoctoral Fellow, 2001-2003

Current position:
Associate Professor, Department of Oncology, University of Bari, Italy.

Christina Weiler-Normann, M.D. 
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2004-2006

Current position:
Lecturer and attending (academic physician scientist), Martin-Zeitz Center for Rare Diseases and Center for Internal Medicine, First Medical Clinic, University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany.

Masaaki Shiina, M.D., Ph.D. 
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2004-2007

Current position:
Director, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Shin-Yurigaoka General Hospital, Kawasaki, Japan.

Joo-Chun Yoon, M.D. 
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2004-2007

Current position:
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Eui-Cheol Shin, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2002-2008

Current position:
Professor, Graduate School of Medical Science & Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Director, The Center for Viral Immunology, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, Republic of Korea

Golo Ahlenstiel, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2004-2009

Current position:
Chair of Medicine, Blacktown Mount Druitt Hospitals with Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
Lead, Liver Immunology Group, Storr Liver Centre, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia.

Maria Quasdorff, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2008

Next position:
Internist, University of Cologne, Germany.

Naga Suresh Veerapu, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2006-2011

Current position:
Associate Professor, Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Sukanya Raghuraman, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2006-2011

Current position:
Scientific Writer, Cactus Communications, Mumbai, India.

Aintzane Zabaleta-Aspiroz, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2007-2010

Next position:
Research Scientist, University de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.

Jens Werner, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2009-2013

Current position:
Lecturer and Attending (academic physician scientist), Department of Surgery, University Hospital, Regensburg, Germany.

Su-Hyung Park, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2008-2014

Current position:
Professor, Graduate School of Medical Science & Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Lauren Holz, Ph.D. 
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2009-2015

Current position:
Research Fellow, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.

Elisavet Serti, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2011-2017

Current position:
Associate Director of Vaccines and Prevention, The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

Heiyoung Park, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist, 2009-2018

Current position:
Program Director, Division of Skin and Rheumatic Diseases, NIAMS, NIH, Bethesda, MD.

Fabian Bolte, M.D. 
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2014-2018

Current position:
Clinical Fellow, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, Germany.

Stephan Rosshart, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2013-2019

Current position:
Clinical Fellow and research group leader, Department of Internal Medicine II, University of Freiburg, Germany.

Helenie Kefalakes, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2015-2020

Current position:
Clinical fellow and research group leader, Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany.

Benedikt Hild, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2018-2021

Current position:
Clinical Fellow, Clinic for Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Essen University Hospital, Essen, Germany.

Akira Nishio, M.D. Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2017-2021

Current position:
Instructor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.

Min Kyung Jung, Ph.D.
Visiting Guest Researcher, 2019-2021

Current position:
Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Medical Science & Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.

Our Alumni: Former Students

Christoph Eisenbach
Research Student supported by Scholarship of the Biomedical Exchange Academic Year Program, 1999-2000

Current position:
Professor, Head of the Department of Gastroenterology and Diabetology, GRN-Klinik Weinheim, Germany.

Markus Bosmann
Research Student supported by Scholarship of the Biomedical Exchange Academic Year Program, 2001-2002

Current position:
Associate Professor of Medicine, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA.

Petra Sander
Summer Student (Minority Access to Research Careers Program), 2002

Next position:
Yerby Postdoctoral Fellow, Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.

Brittany Holmes
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2005-2006

Current position:
Clinical Assistant Professor, Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, CA

Nydiaris Hernandez-Santos
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2005-2006

Current position:
Research Associate, University of Madiscon-Wisconsin, Madison, WI.

Rachel Titerence
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2007-2008

Current position:
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC.

Jonathan Stoltzfus
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2008-2009

Current position:
Assistant Professor, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Millersville University, PA.

Birgit Edlich
Graduate Student from Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany., 2008-2010

Current position:
Medical Advisor, Pierre Fabre Pharma, Freiburg, Germany

Leah Hogdal
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2009-2010

Current position:
Senior Scientist, AbbVie, North Chicago, IL.

Onyinechi Eke
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2010-2011

Current position:
Instructor in Emergency Medicine and Faculty and Director of Global Ultrasound, Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.

Warren Pan
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2011-2012

Current position:
Resident, Ophthalmology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

Xenia Chepa-Lotrea
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2012-2014

Current position:
Resident in Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Kathryn Bowman
Medical Research Scholar Program, 2012-2013

Current position:
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA.

Meghan Keane
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2014-2015

Current position:
Resident Physician, St. Joseph Hospital, Denver, CO.

Ashley Bolte, nee O’Keefe
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2015-2016

Current position:
MD PhD Student, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.

Brian Vassallo
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2015-2017

Current position:
PhD Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA.

Lauren Webb
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2016-2017

Current position:
Resident, Neurology, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Rochester, MI.

Ashley Hunter
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2017-2018

Next position:
Student, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID.

Kaleb Bogale
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2017-2018

Current position:
Medical Student, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA.

Brent Piligian
Summer Student, 2017
Cody Stein
Summer Student, 2018

Current position:
Postbac IRTA student, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, MD.

Matthew Dreier
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2018-2019

Current position:
Medical Student, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY.

Na Hyun Park
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2018-2019

Current position:
Medical Student, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY.

Xylia Horgan
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2019-2021

Current position:
Medical Student, Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lynchburg, VA.

Claire Thefaine
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2019-2020

Current position:
Graduate Student, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MI.

Sharika Hasan
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2019-2021

Current position:
Medical Student, New York University, New York, NY.

Mary McCarthy
Postbaccalaureate Student, 2021-2022

Current position:
Medical Student, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.

Last Reviewed October 2023