Eric A. Hoffman, PhD is a professor of radiology, medicine and biomedical engineering at the University of Iowa. He is the director of the Advanced Pulmonary Physiomic Imaging Laboratory (APPIL) in the Department of Radiology and the director of the Iowa Comprehensive Lung Imaging Center (I-Clic) at the University of Iowa. He received his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Minnesota / Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in 1981 and remained on staff at the Mayo Clinic where he was a member of the team which Developed the Dynamic Spatial Reconstructor (DSR). Dr. Hoffman moved from the Mayo Clinic in 1987 to head the Cardiothoracic Imaging Research Center in the Department of Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania and then moved in 1992 to his current position at the University of Iowa. Most recently, in addition to continuing basic physiologic research of the lung, he has established a combination of single and multi-spectral multidetector row spiral CT imaging methodology to objectively follow human lung pathology and pathophysiology with a particular emphasis on inflammatory lung diseases.

Dr. Comellas is the Director, Clinical Research Support, ICTS and Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine – Pulmonary, Critical Care and Occupational Medicine at the University of Iowa. His education includes an MD from Central University of Venezuela, Luis Razetti School of Medicine, an Internship in Internal Medicine from Michael Reese Hospital, University of Illinois and residency and fellowships from Northwestern Memorial Hospital at Northwestern University.

Emma hold BAs in Geography (Environmental Studies) and Music from the University of Iowa. She nurtured my passion for environmental conservation and equity by working in various environmental groups. After undergrad, she carried out water quality research at the University of Iowa, traveling to South America during winter to learn about different cultures and geographies (and hike!). At this time, she was connected with an academic contact who invited her to apply to the Conservation Medicine PhD program at the Universidad Andres Bello (Santiago, Chile), which aligned closely with her interests: the intersection of animal, human and environmental health.

Working as a post-doc with Dr. Comellas has allowed her mechanistic insight into the effects of air pollution on lung disease. She feels fortunate to work in a facility with access to primary human airway epithelia, allowing for insight into in vitro responses to particulate matter (PM) exposures and pathogenic challenges. The first project she worked on assessed in-home air quality in homes of patients with COPD, bringing PM back to the lab for further analysis and exposure studies. Her team’s work in India was incredibly illuminating and allowed them to apply laboratory techniques to study a chronic lung disease affecting millions worldwide. Of late, they have pivoted to viral inactivation research using a PM model to challenge airway innate immunity using coronavirus strains including SARS-CoV-2.

Dr. Kizhakke Puliyakote (KP) received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 2006 from India and moved to the US for his graduate training. He received his Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2007 and left academia to join ETEK Inc. as a Systems Analyst.

In 2009, he joined the University of Iowa as a PhD student and was awarded a departmental fellowship by the department of Biomedical Engineering. He then joined Dr. Eric Hoffman’s lab and completed his thesis on high resolution microCT imaging and characterization of the murine pulmonary acinus.

In 2016, he joined the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) as a postdoctoral research fellow under Dr. Susan Hopkins. At UCSD, his work has focused on applying MRI techniques to assess variations in ventilation-perfusion matching due to factors such as aging, chronic conditions like COPD, and inhaled compounds such as in vaping/smoking.

In addition to his mentors, KP has had the opportunity to train under eminent names in Pulmonary research, such as Dr. Ewald Weibel, Dr. John West, and Dr. Peter Wagner. KP’s primary research interests are on the application of imaging techniques to detect early pathological changes from environmental and occupational exposures.