Contact Information

Biography

Board Certification: Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics

Specialty: Pediatric Allergy and Immunology

Medical School: University of Southern Florida, Tampa

Internship: State University of New York, Syracuse

Residency: State University of New York; Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston

Fellowship: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore

Medical Interests: Childhood allergies, asthma, food allergies, immune deficiency

Clinical and Research Interests

Dr. Gern is board-certified in Allergy and Immunology and Pediatrics. Areas of interest include childhood allergies, asthma, food allergies, and immune deficiency.

Dr. Gern leads several NIH-funded studies to define the role of viral infections in the initiation and disease activity of asthma, and to identify interactions between host and viral factors that determine the severity of respiratory illnesses. He is the Principal Investigator for the University of Wisconsin Asthma and Allergic Diseases Clinical Research Center. This is a collaborative program involving investigators in the Allergy/Immunology Division and basic scientists (Molecular Virology, Biomolecular Chemistry) at the University of Wisconsin. The goals of the project are to determine mechanisms for asthma exacerbations that are caused by common cold viruses.

In addition, he leads the Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma (URECA) study for the Inner City Asthma Consortium. The goal of this birth cohort study is to identify lifestyle and environmental factors (including viral infections) unique to the urban environment that influence early immune development to increase the risks for allergic diseases and asthma. Dr. Gern also leads translational research projects to identify virus-induced inflammatory mechanisms involving airway epithelial cells and T regulatory cells, and experimental inoculation studies of volunteers with asthma using a safety-tested strain of rhinovirus.

Dr. Gern's other activities include:

• Chair, American Board of Allergy and Immunology
• Member, ACGME Allergy and Immunology Residency Review Committee
• Chair, Research Honors Committee, UW School of Medicine and Public Health
• Principal Investigator, UW Allergy and Immunology Training Grant (T32)
• Vice Chair, Program Committee - American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Meeting

Search for James Gern's literature abstracts on PubMed

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