Guthrie Lab Members

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. My research program is designed to build a translational bridge between basic science and clinical care for neonatal cholestatic liver disease. My primary goal is to develop and utilize clinically relevant preclinical models to address urgent challenges in biliary atresia and parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis (PNAC). The cornerstone of my lab is the neonatal piglet model, which allows for complex surgical and nutritional studies that closely mimic the human infant condition. A new and growing facet of my research investigates the critical role of choline bioavailability and fatty acid transport in both parenteral and enteral nutrition for premature infants. Our work is in close collaboration with clinicians at Texas Children’s Hospital to accelerate the development of new treatments for our most vulnerable pediatric patients.

I was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1996 I moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where I studied biology at Lake Erie College. After receiving a biology degree, I moved to Houston, TX, and started working in biomedical research and continuing my education to receive a master’s degree in Studies of Human Behavior. An avid learner and researcher, I kept learning and obtaining post-graduate certificates in Immunology (Harvard University), Human and animal behavior (Oxford University), and Forensic DNA Analysis (Cambridge University). I have over 20 years of research experience and currently work as a senior research assistant for Dr. Burrin at Children’s Nutrition Research Center. I am a member of the American Society for Nutrition, the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, and The American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

I was born and raised in Germany. I have over 25 years of training and expertise in nutritional biochemistry and the development of clinically-relevant experimental models using the pig. My training started in the laboratory of Dr. Dieter Häussinger in Freiburg, Germany where I completed my Ph.D. I continued building my expertise during a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Peter Reeds at the CNRC in Houston starting in 1996. My training with Drs. Reeds and Burrin involved the use of stable isotopes and their measurement with mass spectrometry to quantify the gut metabolism of amino acids in infant pigs. I have continued my collaboration with Dr. Doug Burrin and others at the CNRC where my expertise and skill have been instrumental in developing new surgical approaches and nutrition support regimens to establish models of total parenteral nutrition (TPN), parenteral-nutrition associated liver disease (PNALD) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in term and preterm neonatal piglets. I have experience with several experimental approaches in neonatal pigs including hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps, indirect calorimetry, and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. My experience in hepatocyte isolation and culture developed during doctoral training has been applied to establishing new methods for isolation and cell culture of hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. I currently serve as a coordinator in planning logistics, animal husbandry, and surgical procedures for swine research protocols conducted at the CNRC. When not working with pigs, I enjoy traveling, being outdoors running, bicycling, hiking, and kitchen activities like cooking and baking. Occasional trips to classical concerts or the opera are a treat.

I was born and raised in Texas and developed a strong interest in science early in life. I hold an Associate of Applied Science and a Certificate in Biotechnology from Del Mar College, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Biological and Physical Sciences from the University of Houston–Downtown. My research career has focused on molecular biology, animal models, and nutritional studies, and I currently serve as a Research Technician III at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine. My work explores how nutrition influences growth and development in preterm infants. Outside the laboratory, I enjoy traveling, being outdoors, hiking, camping, and spending time with family and friends.