Katrina E. Traber, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

The long-term goal of the Traber Lab is to identify and develop new strategies to treat severe neutrophil-based sequelae of pneumonia such as ARDS and sepsis. To achieve this goal, we use in vivo and in vitro models of pneumonia to investigate mechanisms of neutrophil dysfunction in acute lung infections. Currently, we have been using two broad approaches to understand neutrophil biology. First, we are examining modulation of the neutrophil transcriptome during neutrophil migration from circulation to the alveolar space. Second, we are investigating how Oncostatin M (OSM), an IL-6 family cytokine produced by neutrophils in many acute and chronic inflammatory settings, including pneumonia, ARDS and sepsis potentiates neutrophil migration to the alveoli during pneumonia.

If you are interested in joining our research group, please contact Dr. Traber at katraber@bu.edu.

Publications

  • Published 1/30/2026

    Tabackman A, Acuña-Villaorduña C, Canning M, Karoly M, Dauphinais MR, Michaud R, Bouton TC, Bourque DL, Reifler KA, Sabharwal V, Traber K, Gupte AN, Jacobson KR, Sinha P. Low TB1 and TB2 antigen-nil is associated with increased QuantiFERON Gold Plus reversions. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2026 Jan 30; 30(2):88-89. PMID: 41618115.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/29/2025

    Martins MF, Teran Plasencia JM, Jacobson KR, Bouton TC, Traber KE, Canning M, Bourque DL, Sabharwal V, Michaud R, Sinha P, Acuña-Villaorduña CJ. Rifampin versus isoniazid completion rates for TB infection. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2025 Aug 29; 29(9):425-427. PMID: 40883884.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/20/2025

    Shastry A, Hiller BE, Sanders NL, Tseng AE, Kothari J, O'Connell AK, Gertje HP, Ha CT, Murzin E, Traber KE, Lederer JA, Jones MR, Douam F, Beach TG, Remick DG, Crossland NA, Monti S, Campbell JD, Mizgerd JP. Sub-phenotypes of pneumonia defined by pulmonary histopathological features. bioRxiv. 2025 May 20. PMID: 40475544.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/4/2025

    Traber KE, Mizgerd JP. The Integrated Pulmonary Immune Response to Pneumonia. Annu Rev Immunol. 2025 Apr; 43(1):545-569. PMID: 40036700.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/25/2025

    Soucy AM, Brune JE, Jayaraman A, Shenoy AT, Korkmaz FT, Etesami NS, Hiller BE, Martin IM, Goltry WN, Ha CT, Crossland NA, Campbell JD, Beach TG, Traber KE, Jones MR, Quinton LJ, Bosmann M, Frevert CW, Mizgerd JP. Transcriptomic responses of lung mesenchymal cells during pneumonia. JCI Insight. 2025 Feb 25; 10(7). PMID: 39998887.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 25 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Member, Pulmonary Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University

Websites

Education

  • New York University School of Medicine, MD
  • New York University School of Medicine, PhD
  • New York University School of Medicine, MS
  • Wesleyan University, BA

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