marc e. rothenberg md phd

Rothenberg Lab Meet the Lab

Meet the rothenberg cured lab.

Dr. Rothenberg is director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children's and tenured professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s within the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He is the Founder and Director of the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders (CCED) and the Principal Investigator of the Consortium of Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Disease Researchers (CEGIR), part of the Rare Disease Clinical Research Network of the National Institutes of Health. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Rothenberg graduated summa cum laude with highest honors in chemistry and biochemistry from Brandeis University. He then completed the MD/PhD program at Harvard Medical School under Dr. Frank Austen, conducting studies on eosinophil hematopoiesis, and he developed the first culture system for human eosinophils. After completing residency at Children’s Hospital, Boston, Rothenberg completed a fellowship in allergy/immunology and hematology at Children’s Hospital. Rothenberg did post-doctorate training with Dr. Philip Leder, Harvard Medical School, where he cloned the eotaxin chemokine. After being faculty at Harvard Medical School for one year, he came to the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's, where he has helped build a top program in research and sees patients suffering from allergic and immunologic diseases from around the world as part of the CCED. His division is a leader in allergy and immunology.

Rothenberg’s research is focused on molecular analysis of allergic inflammation, primarily on the molecular pathogenesis of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders. His laboratory takes a multi-disciplinary approach including the development of preclinical murine models, genetics, genomics, molecular immunology, and biochemistry. Rothenberg’s research has been published in over 500 peer-reviewed articles and has contributed to the development of a new class of drugs based on targeting eosinophils, the first of which (anti-IL-5) has been approved by the FDA for eosinophilic asthma.  His research has uncovered the cellular, molecular and genetic bases for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), leading to a commercially available molecular diagnostic test and new treatment strategies.

Dr. Rothenberg’s awards include the 2007 E Mead Johnson Award from the Society of Pediatric Research, 2010 National Institutes of Health MERIT Award, and being elected an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, American Academy of Pediatrics, Society for Pediatric Radiology, and National Academy of Medicine. He has served on review panels for journals/grant agencies including National Institutes of Health (NIH), Burroughs Trust, and Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom. He served for four years on the Advisory Council of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. He has been Associate Editor of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology  since 2004. He is the Director and Founder of the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR), supported by the Rare Disease Clinical Research Network of the NIH. His research has been supported by sources including the NIH, Human Frontier Science Program Organization, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Dana Foundation, US-Israel Binational Fund, Department of Defense, and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

Rothenberg has trained a myriad of investigators, serving as the Program Director and/or Principal Investigator of several training grants, including an NIAID T32, the Institutional Children’s Health Pediatric Scientist Training Grant (K12) and the KL2 Training Component of Cincinnati Children’s CTSA. [email protected]

Institutional Investigators

Julie Caldwell, PhD

Julie came to the Rothenberg CURED Lab after completing her BS at Xavier University and PhD in the lab of Yolanda Sanchez at the University of Cincinnati. In eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic gastritis (EG), changes in the esophagus and stomach occur that include the infiltration of cells that are not normally present, such as eosinophils, but also alterations in the structural cells that normally makes up these tissues. The Rothenberg Lab studies the differences in both the structural tissue, as well as the infiltrating cells, between people who have eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs) and those who do not to gain a better understanding of what causes the diseases. One of the differences in the structural tissue observed in people who have EoE or EG is an increase in the level of the molecule cadherin 26 (CDH26), which is a cell adhesion molecule. Julie is testing the hypothesis that cadherin 26, which is expressed by the structural cells in the esophagus and stomach, can affect the infiltrating cells, such as eosinophils or T cells, by influencing how they can localize to the tissue or how they function once they are present in the esophagus and stomach. Julie hopes that by discovering how factors such as CDH26 affect processes related to EGID pathogenesis, we can develop treatments related to these molecules. [email protected]

Mark Rochman, PhD

Mark came to the Rothenberg CURED Lab from the National Institutes of Health. Have you ever thought why the cells of our body are so different even though they all have the same DNA? Our DNA is not always our destiny. There is a special mechanism of regulating cell fate, which is called epigenetics (“epi” means “above”). Our cells respond to the signals from their environment by switching on and turning off expression of genes that makes them blood cells, muscle cells or esophageal epithelial cells. In addition to tissue differentiation, epigenetics regulates gene expression in diseases, such as eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a condition in which consumed food becomes a major environmental inducer of allergic response. Mark is focused on understanding what role(s) epigenetics is having in the development of EoE with the hope to develop novel therapeutic approaches to treat EoE. [email protected]

Postdoctoral Fellows / Research Associates

Netali Morgenstern - Ben Baruch, PhD

Netali Morgenstern - Ben Baruch, PhD Research Associate

Netali came to the Rothenberg CURED Lab after receiving her degree from Tel-Aviv University in Israel where she investigated the regulation of eosinophil hematopoiesis, chemotaxis and activation by the inhibitory receptor Paired Immunoglobulin- like Receptor B (PIR-B). It is well established that inhibitory receptors promote suppressive signals that can regulate various check points in immune cell function. These suppressive pathways have a fundamental role in maintaining tissue homeostasis. Surprisingly, endogenous suppressive pathways that regulate eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) development have received limited attention. Netali’s work is aimed at characterizing the regulatory role of Inhibitory receptors in the development of Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

[email protected]

Mario Alberto Ynga Durand, MD, PhD

Mario Alberto Ynga Durand Research Fellow

Mario joined the Rothenberg CURED Lab following his doctoral studies in viral immunology at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research in Germany. After training as a pediatric immunologist in Mexico, he was engaged in the clinical care of patients with allergy before moving into biomedical research. His primary interest is in understanding the immunologic determinants of pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a chronic inflammatory disease of the esophagus. Currently, Mario's research aims to identify potential targets for reducing or preventing this disease. Ultimately, he wants to bring basic immunologic discoveries closer to patients.

[email protected]

Jennifer Felton, PhD

Jennifer Felton, PhD Research Associate

Jenni came to the Rothenberg CURED Lab after completing her PhD in inflammation research at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, where she investigated the regulation of eosinophil death and clearance in the resolution of allergic airway disease. In the Rothenberg Lab, Jenni’s work focuses on investigating the genetic and epigenetic (environmental) factors that influence the process of eosinophil development and tissue specificity, as factors that drive eosinophil maturation and function are relativity unknown. Investigating what internal genetic factors and external influences regulate these critical steps and which lead to an immature cell becoming an eosinophil under homeostatic or allergic conditions are crucial to our understanding and treatment of multiple allergic diseases.

[email protected]

Gayatri Puri, PhD

Gayatri Puri, PhD Research Fellow

Yrina Rochman, PhD

Yrina Rochman, PhD   Research Associate

Yrina came to Cincinnati Children’s after receiving her PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Cytokines and bacterial metabolites play essential roles in the regulation of immune responses. They serve as messengers between different cell populations and may send protective or harmful signals during inflammation. Elucidating the mechanisms of how these factors are produced and interact with immune cells is crucial in understanding the initiation and propagation of allergic diseases and can lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies. Yrina’s work in the Rothenberg CURED Lab focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms induced by cytokines and bacterial metabolites and involved in regulating pathogenic responses during eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and other allergic disorders.

[email protected]  

Hiroki Sato, MD, PhD

Hiroki Sato, MD, PhD Visiting Scientist

[email protected]

Michael Trimarchi, PhD

Michael Trimarchi, PhD Research Fellow 

Michael came to the Rothenberg CURED Lab after completing his PhD in Biomedical Research from The Ohio State University. Leveraging his experience in computational biology, Michael will tackle questions about eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) etiology and treatment using the latest high-throughput methods (e.g., RNA-seq, genome-wide association) and assist other lab members with custom analyses for their projects.

[email protected]

Simin Zhang, MD

Simin Zhang, MD Fellow

Simin came to the Rothenberg CURED Lab after receiving her MD from Weill Cornell Medicine and completing an internal medicine residency at Penn State in Hershey, PA. Simin is currently an allergy fellow at University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's. Simin is interested in the role of IgG4 in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis, and whether it can serve as a biomarker in treatment response.

[email protected]

Predoctoral Students

Edward Gerstner

Edward Gerstner Student, University of Cincinnati

Edward joined the Rothenberg CURED Lab after completing his second year of undergraduate studies in Health Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. His passion for research stems from his diagnosis and journey through life with the complexities of having severe allergies and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). He will be working to elucidate the crosstalk between the immune and nervous systems and how this interaction relates to the pain associated with EoE.

[email protected]

Emily Gonzalez

Emily Gonzalez Student, University of Cincinnati

[email protected]

Kendall Kellerman, BS

Kendall Kellerman, BS Student, Cincinnati Children’s Kendall came to the Rothenberg CURED Lab after receiving her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Creighton University. She is working towards her MD/PhD at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s, where she is in the Immunology Graduate Program studying pain in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Kendall is interested in the crosstalk between the immune and nervous system in allergic diseases and what role this relationship plays in the development of pain. [email protected]

Andrea Szep

Andrea Szep Student, University of Cincinnati

[email protected]

Research Assistants and Specialty Support

John Besse, MS

John received his bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 2008. Many experiments in the Rothenberg CURED Lab involve mouse models, which researchers use to test hypotheses for different experiments in mice instead of humans. John takes care of specific mouse colonies and works on various research projects with senior scientists in the lab. He is committed to maintaining a safe lab environment and has received the Safety Star Award multiple times. John's special interests include merging computers and biological phenomena.

[email protected]

Dalila Cavallaro, MS

Dalila Cavallaro, MS Research Assistant

Dalila came to the Rothenberg CURED Lab after receiving her Bachelor of Science in biotechnologies and Master of Science in medical biotechnologies degrees from the University of Siena, Italy. Her previous laboratory research focused on the immunologic response of patients affected by rare respiratory disease. She is interested in expanding her knowledge by investigating the immunologic processes of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and the other allergic/immunologic conditions and mechanisms investigated by the Rothenberg CURED Lab. Dalila’s takes part in maintaining mouse colonies, assisting with clinical sample processing, and helping the other lab members in their ongoing research.

[email protected]

Michael Eby, BS

Michael Eby, BS Senior Research Database Programmer

Mike earned his BS degree in computer science from Xavier University and works in the Division of Allergy and Immunology and with the Rothenberg CURED Lab and the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders (CCED) as a senior research database programmer.  

[email protected]

Heather Foote

Heather Foote Data Management Specialist

Heather is a data management specialist in the Division of Allergy and Immunology and the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders (CCED) team. She has worked at Cincinnati Children’s since 2000 and joined the Division of Allergy and Immunology in 2003.

[email protected]

Shawna Hottinger, MS, ELS

Shawna Hottinger, MS, ELS Medical Writer

Shawna earned her MS degree in molecular and developmental biology from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and is certified by the Board of Editors in life sciences. She works in the Division of Allergy and Immunology and with the Rothenberg CURED Lab as a medical writer.

[email protected]

Andrea Klingler, MS

Andrea Klingler, MS Research Assistant IV

Andrea came to the Rothenberg CURED Lab after completing her MS in biochemistry and molecular biology from Wright State University. Andrea participates in maintaining the mouse colony, processes biological samples donated by patients, assists with ongoing experiments, and coordinates ordering supplies for the division.

[email protected]

Victor LaFay, MBA

Victor LaFay, MBA Financial Analyst II

Victor earned his MBA in general management from Northern Kentucky University. He has worked previously at Cincinnati Children’s as a clinical research coordinator and as a research assistant in clinical and research laboratories. He works in the Division of Allergy and Immunology and with the Rothenberg CURED Lab as a financial analyst.

[email protected]

Melissa Mingler, MS, MBA

Melissa earned her MS in biochemistry and MBA in finance from Michigan State University and Xavier University, respectively, and works in the Division of Allergy and Immunology, Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders (CCED) and the Rothenberg CURED Lab as a business manager. 

[email protected]

Garrett Osswald, BS

Garrett Osswald Research Assistant IV [email protected]

Garrett came to the Rothenberg CURED Lab after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Cincinnati. Many experiments in the lab involve molecules isolated from human biopsy and blood samples, which researchers use to test their hypotheses. Garrett’s work focuses on receiving, processing, and archiving isolated RNA, DNA, protein, serum, and plasma for immediate and long-term use. In addition, he assists other lab members in their ongoing research projects and is always learning something new.

Major Collaborating Research Teams and Faculty (Internal)

• CCED Research Team
• J. Pablo Abonia, MD
• Bruce J. Aronow, PhD
• Nurit Azouz, PhD
• Margaret H. Collins, MD
• Gurjit "Neeru" Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD
• Leah C. Kottyan, PhD
• Lisa J. Martin, PhD
• Vincent A. Mukkada, MD
• Chandrashekhar Pasare, PhD
• Tetsuo Shoda, MD, PhD

Volunteer Research Collaborators (External)

• Karen McAllister, PhD

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Marc E. Rothenberg , MD,PhD

Professor-affiliate, director, division of allergy and immunology director, cincinnati center for eosinophilic disorders program director, chrcda (k12).

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Room S6.441 3333 Burnet Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026 Phone 513-636-7177 Fax 513-636-3310 Email [email protected]

Medical and Doctoral Degree: Harvard Medical School Cambridge, MA, 1990 (Seminal studies on eosinophil hematopoiesis.)

Residency: Children's Hospital Boston, MA, 1992 (Pediatrics)

Fellowship: Children's Hospital Boston, MA, 1994 (Immunology and Allergy)

Fellowship: Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute Boston, MA, 1995 (Hematology and Oncology)

Bachelor's Degree: Brandeis University Waltham, MA, 1983 (Chemistry and Biochemistry)

Research and Practice Interests

Allergic Inflammation, Eosinophil Biology and Regulation, Eosinophilic Disorders (especially EGIDs), Asthma, and Food Allergy

Contact Information

Academic - Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Room S6.441 Cincinnati  Ohio, 45229-3026 Phone: 513-636-7177 Fax: 513-636-3310 [email protected]

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Marc E. Rothenberg

Marc E. Rothenberg , MD, PhD is an American physician - scientist and Professor of Pediatrics. Rothenberg's research is focused on Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases. [1]

• 3 Awards and Honors
• 4 Publications
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Rothenberg's career began at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center|University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in 1996, where he is currently a Professor of Pediatrics, and the Director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology , respectively. [2] Rothenberg established the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders , a center focused on Eosinophilic|eosinophilic diseases. [3]

In 2016, Rothenberg was the first recipient of the Denise and Dave Bunning Chair for Allergy and Immunology. [4]

Rothenberg is also the current Director of the NIH-sponsored Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers , part of the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network. [5] In 2021, he was elected Co-Chair of the RDCRN. [6]

The Rothenberg CURED Laboratory at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center conducts research focused on the Molecular diagnostics|molecular analysis of allergic inflammation, particularly the pathogenesis of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders. [7]

Awards and Honors

• 2007 E. Mead Johnson Award from the Society of Pediatric Research [8]
• 2010 National Institutes of Health MERIT Award|NIH Merit Award [9]
• 2018 Highly Cited Researcher (Clarivate|Clarivate Analytics) [10]
• 2019 Paul Ehrlich Lectureship Award from the International Eosinophil Society [11]

Publications

Rothenberg has authored and co-authored over 450 peer-reviewed articles. [12]

• ↑ "Marc E. Rothenberg, MD, PhD" . www.cincinnatichildrens.org . Retrieved 2021-12-16 .
• ↑ "Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders | Rothenberg Laboratory Current Projects" . www.cincinnatichildrens.org . Retrieved 2021-12-16 .
• ↑ "Marc Rothenberg Receives First Bunning Chair | Cincinnati Children's" . www.cincinnatichildrens.org . Retrieved 2021-12-16 .
• ↑ "Scientist Spotlight: Marc Rothenberg Leads Eosinophilic Collaboration and Research to New Discoveries" . Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network . Retrieved 2021-12-16 .
• ↑ "RDCRN Announces New 2021 Network Steering Committee Leadership" . Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network . Retrieved 2021-12-16 .
• ↑ "Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders | Rothenberg Laboratory Current Projects" . www.cincinnatichildrens.org . Retrieved 2022-04-30 .
• ↑ "Past Award Recipients – Society for Pediatric Research" . Retrieved 2022-04-30 .
• ↑ "Doctor at Cincinnati Children's receives prestigious NIH MERIT Award to extend research of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders" . www.cincinnatichildrens.org . Retrieved 2021-12-16 .
• ↑ "Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers 2018-Congratulations to Dr Marc Rothenberg! | Edward L. Pratt Research Library" . prattlibrary.cchmc.org . Retrieved 2021-12-16 .
• ↑ "Dr. Rothenberg received the Paul Ehrlich Lectureship Award" . Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network . Retrieved 2022-03-31 .
• ↑ "My Bibliography - NCBI" . www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov . Retrieved 2022-04-30 .

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Marc Rothenberg, MD, PhD: EoE Receives First FDA Approval with Dupilumab

EoE expert Dr. Marc Rothenberg says it's a relief to know that the FDA has finally approved a drug for EoE.

Marc Rothenberg, MD, PhD

Last week the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved dupilumab (Dupixent) for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) in adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older, weighing at least 40 kg.

This approval marks the first treatment indicated for EoE in the US. The rare condition affects people of all ages and genders with a higher incidence among males. As of right now, dupilumab is the sole biologic to achieve positive, clinically meaningful phase 3 results in this patient population.

"This is a victory for science, patients, rare diseases and advocacy," Marc Rothenberg, MD, PhD, director of the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Diseases at Cincinnati Children’s, said in a statement.

Rothenberg has been studying EoE for the past 2 decades and his research has played an essential role in the development of dupilumab for EoE treatment. He and his team were able to demonstrate that EoE was mediated by an allergic response to food, and the disease mechanism involved a dysregulated immune response driven by interleukin (IL-13) elicited inflammation.

As dupilumab achieved FDA approval, Rothenberg offered to answer some questions about the treatment for HCPLive .

Dupilumab is the first treatment in the US to be approved for patients 12 years and older with EoE. How will this approval shift treatment practices for this condition?

Rothenberg : At present, patients are treated with restricted elimination diets, as well as off-label usage of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), as well as topical glucocorticoids (asthma drugs made for inhalation) but now swallowed. These drugs do not work in everyone, patients universally relapse upon withdrawal of medicines, and diet sensitization changes over time. 

As such, there is a need for approved and better therapy. Dupilumab will be that answer for many. It improves symptoms, pathology, endoscopy, and molecular changes in the esophagus. It will also be a relief to know that the FDA has finally approved a drug for EoE.

Will most patients adopt this as part of their treatment regimen if they haven’t already?

Rothenberg : It will likely be used in a subset of patients who are unsatisfied with their current therapy. Also, not everyone, with or without insurance, will be able to afford it.

In what ways has dupilumab succeeded where competitors have not?

Rothenberg : It is the first drug to improve symptoms plus histology (decrease eosinophil counts in the esophagus).

Do you think there’s motivation to get this treatment approved for patients under the age of 12?

Rothenberg : Yes, there is strong motivation, and a large-scale study is currently underway and almost complete.

Rothenberg continues to lead studies of EoE and related conditions as principal investigator of the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers  (CEGIR), which is part of the NIH-funded  Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network  (RDCRN).

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Eosinophils in the new millennium

• PMID: 17451795
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2007.03.035

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Similar articles

• Images in allergy and immunology: role of eosinophils in airway remodeling. Foley SC, Préfontaine D, Hamid Q. Foley SC, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Jun;119(6):1563-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2007.03.040. Epub 2007 May 3. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007. PMID: 17481718 Review. No abstract available.
• Eosinophil trafficking in allergy and asthma. Rosenberg HF, Phipps S, Foster PS. Rosenberg HF, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Jun;119(6):1303-10; quiz 1311-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2007.03.048. Epub 2007 May 3. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007. PMID: 17481712 Review.
• Eosinophils: singularly destructive effector cells or purveyors of immunoregulation? Jacobsen EA, Taranova AG, Lee NA, Lee JJ. Jacobsen EA, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Jun;119(6):1313-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2007.03.043. Epub 2007 May 3. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007. PMID: 17481717 Review.
• [Welcome to visit the new targets in the field of immunology]. Salmi M, Mäkelä T. Salmi M, et al. Duodecim. 2003;119(8):745-6. Duodecim. 2003. PMID: 12806736 Review. Finnish. No abstract available.
• The 2006 annual meeting of the Israel Association of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (IAACI). Handzel ZT. Handzel ZT. Isr Med Assoc J. 2007 Jun;9(6):466-8. Isr Med Assoc J. 2007. PMID: 17642397 No abstract available.
• Identification of Piecemeal Degranulation and Vesicular Transport of MBP-1 in Liver-Infiltrating Mouse Eosinophils During Acute Experimental Schistosoma mansoni Infection. Dias FF, Amaral KB, Malta KK, Silva TP, Rodrigues GSC, Rosa FM, Rodrigues GOL, Costa VV, Chiarini-Garcia H, Weller PF, Melo RCN. Dias FF, et al. Front Immunol. 2018 Dec 20;9:3019. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.03019. eCollection 2018. Front Immunol. 2018. PMID: 30619361 Free PMC article.
• Single-Cell Analyses of Human Eosinophils at High Resolution to Understand Compartmentalization and Vesicular Trafficking of Interferon-Gamma. Carmo LAS, Bonjour K, Spencer LA, Weller PF, Melo RCN. Carmo LAS, et al. Front Immunol. 2018 Jul 9;9:1542. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01542. eCollection 2018. Front Immunol. 2018. PMID: 30038615 Free PMC article.

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Marc E. Rothenberg, MD,PhD

Professor-affiliate.

Director, Division of Allergy and Immunology Director, Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders Program Director, CHRCDA (K12)

Pediatrics | College of Medicine

• Fellowship: Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Hematology and Oncology)
• Fellowship: Children's Hospital (Immunology and Allergy)
• Residency: Children's Hospital (Pediatrics)
• Medical and Doctoral Degree: Harvard Medical School (Seminal studies on eosinophil hematopoiesis.)
• Bachelor's Degree: Brandeis University (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
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Allergic Inflammation, Eosinophil Biology and Regulation, Eosinophilic Disorders (especially EGIDs), Asthma, and Food Allergy

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National Security

A cia officer visits moscow, returns with mysterious, crippling headaches.

Marc Polymeropoulos, a senior CIA official, photographed in Moscow's Red Square in 2017. He fell ill on that trip and has since suffered debilitating migraine headaches that led him to resign from the agency. Courtesy of Marc Polymeropoulos hide caption

During 26 years at the CIA, Marc Polymeropoulos spent a lot of time in rough places, like war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But he never suffered any harm until December 2017, when he was sound asleep at a Marriott Hotel in Moscow near the U.S. Embassy.

"I was awoken in the middle of the night," recalled Polymeropoulos, 51. "I just had incredible vertigo, dizziness. I wanted to throw up. The room was spinning. I couldn't even stand up without falling down. I had tinnitus ringing in my ears."

He suspected a bad case of food poisoning and carried on with his 10-day trip. The visit included meetings with senior Russian intelligence officials, a common practice despite the long history of tense relations between the two countries and their spy agencies.

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Brain scans find differences but no injury in u.s. diplomats who fell ill in cuba.

But a second bout hit a few days later. Polymeropoulos canceled his remaining meetings and felt fortunate to make it back onto a plane to the U.S.

At the time, Polymeropoulos was settling into a new, senior position at CIA headquarters. After many years in the Middle East, he had become the agency's No. 2 official for clandestine operations in Europe, including Russia.

But a couple of months after he returned from his Moscow trip, in February 2018, he began suffering crippling migraines that still plague him constantly.

"I started this kind of an incredible journey of seeing multiple doctors, multiple MRIs and CT scans and X-rays," said Polymeropoulos, whose story was first reported in GQ magazine . "Ultimately a neurologist diagnosed me with occipital neuralgia ."

This nerve inflammation in the back of the head would explain his headaches, though it's not clear what caused it.

Medical mystery

Polymeropoulos is not alone.

Since 2016, more than 40 U.S. diplomats who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Havana and more than a dozen at U.S. consulates in China have complained of a range of symptoms that also include balance issues, ringing in their ears and memory loss. More than a dozen Canadian diplomats who served in Cuba in 2017 reported similar symptoms.

Polymeropoulos is the first to link his illness to Russia. He says a CIA colleague who traveled with him to Moscow in 2017 suffers similar ailments. In addition, several CIA officers working on Russia issues elsewhere in the world have also been afflicted, he said. Aside from Polymeropoulos, the others are still at the CIA and have not spoken out.

A car drives past the U.S. Embassy in Havana in 2019. More than 40 Americans working at the embassy suffered from unexplained ailments that included headaches, balance problems and memory loss. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

A car drives past the U.S. Embassy in Havana in 2019. More than 40 Americans working at the embassy suffered from unexplained ailments that included headaches, balance problems and memory loss.

"One of whom I know very well and has been really severely affected," he said.

Many of the State Department diplomats have been examined at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Brain Injury and Repair , as well as the University of Miami and the National Institutes of Health.

The bottom line: doctors say the ailments are real, but they don't know what's causing them, and they have not found evidence of traumatic brain injury.

Political questions

In addition to the medical mystery, there are also political questions about the so-called Havana Syndrome.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, said her office has received complaints from employees who served abroad for the State Department, the Commerce Department and the CIA.

Some have not been treated well, she said, and she wants to know if this is related to political sensitivities in dealing with Cuba, China and Russia.

"Some of the employees were doubted when they reported their symptoms. Some were pressured to stay silent. Some were ostracized and reprimanded for saying they were sick," Shaheen said. "So I think that is one of the very real questions. Why were some people treated differently than others? Did it have anything to do with our policies in various countries?"

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejects this.

"There were no politics attached to this. The suggestion somehow is that we didn't protect our officers because of some larger political objective. That is patently false," Pompeo said when asked at a recent press conference.

The Two-Way

State department orders more than half its staff out of cuba after 'specific attacks'.

A new report

The State Department commissioned a study last year by the National Academies of Sciences, which handed in the report in early August.

But the findings have not been released, much to the frustration of Dr. David Relman , the Stanford professor who chaired the study.

"I am quite puzzled and and somewhat dismayed that it has been this long with really, silence," Dr. Relman told NPR. "We spent a year of pretty hard work addressing some really tough cases and tough problems."

Dr. Relman expects the report to be made public, as is the tradition of work done by the academies.

"A number of people here were grievously harmed and are suffering still. So I think this is a really important issue, even if we can't give you an easy answer," he said.

Unproven theories have been circulating for the past few years.

The leading one is that U.S. officials were subjected to some sort of sonic or microwave attacks by foreign governments. Perhaps the intent was to injure them. Or maybe the aim was to steal secrets from their phones and computers, and the officials were just collateral damage.

Russia, China and Cuba have all denied any such actions.

Early retirement

With great reluctance, Marc Polymeropoulos retired from the CIA last year at age 50.

He believes he was attacked during his 2017 visit. But he acknowledges that there's no proof at this point, and said his focus is on regaining his health.

"I just couldn't sit at a computer or go to meetings. The headaches were just too debilitating," he said.

Polymeropoulos is a burly, bearded guy who spoke with me on his front porch in northern Virginia. An American flag hangs out front. Halloween decorations frame his suburban home. He stresses that he's not a disgruntled former employee. Far from it.

"I spent 26 years in an organization that I still love. I have dear friends there," he said. "I was a very successful officer who retired in the senior ranks. So the idea of talking about this publicly is really difficult for me."

Polymeropoulos was examined by the CIA medical staff and then by many private doctors, but the headaches continue to plague him. After a lengthy back-and-forth with the CIA, he was allowed to enroll in a study at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. But it's just a study. What he wants is specialized brain treatment across the street from the NIH — at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Walter Reed is cutting-edge when it comes to treating traumatic brain injuries, a testament to its vast experience in dealing with wounded troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I've asked [the CIA] repeatedly over the last year to send me to Walter Reed, and they have actively rejected this, which to me is is kind of mystifying," he said.

The CIA declined to discuss the specifics of his case, but said, "The CIA's first priority has been and continues to be the welfare of all of our officers."

Greg Myre is an NPR national security correspondent. Follow him @gregmyre1 .