Meet the Team

Principal Investigator

• Dr. Daniel Merenstein is a tenured professor and director of research in the Department of Family Medicine at Georgetown University. Dr. Merenstein has a secondary appointment in the undergraduate Department of Human Science, School of Nursing and Health Studies. Dr. Merenstein teaches two undergraduate courses: a research capstone and a seminar class on evaluating evidence based medical decisions. He has received funding from the NIH, USDA, foundations, and Industry. The primary goal of Dr. Merenstein’s research is to improve patient care and provide answers to common clinical questions that lack evidence. Dr. Merenstein is a clinical trialist who has recruited over 1,700 participants for 8 probiotic trials since 2006. He is an expert on probiotics, antibiotic stewardship in outpatient settings and also conducts HIV research in a large women’s cohort. He sees patients in clinic one day a week.

• Dan lives in Maryland with his wife and 4 boys. Ask Dan about anything to do with Pittsburgh - most importantly Pittsburgh sports, how to improve your studying, running, the importance of having fun at work, and why Bob Dylan deserved the Nobel prize.

Principal Investigator

• Claire Fraser, PhD is the Director of the Institute of Genomic Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. A pioneer and global leader in genomic medicine, Dr. Fraser is one of the most highly cited investigators in microbiology. In 1995, Dr. Fraser was the first to map the complete genetic code of a free-living organism—Haemophilus influenza—the bacterium that causes lower respiratory tract infections and meningitis in infants and young children. This achievement took place at the Institute for Genomic Research, where Dr. Fraser served as Director from 1998 until 2007.

• Her discovery forever changed microbiology and launched a new field of study—microbial genomics. During that time, she and her team also sequenced the bacteria behind syphilis and Lyme disease, and eventually the first plant genome and the first human-pathogenic parasite. She even helped identify the source of a deadly 2001 anthrax attack in one of the biggest investigations conducted by U.S. law enforcement. In 2007, Dr. Fraser launched the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland, which holds over 25 percent of the funding awarded by the Human Microbiome Project.

• Her current research interests center on the structure and function of the human gut microbiota. Dr. Fraser has authored more than 320 scientific publications, edited three books, and has served on committees of the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and National Institutes of Health. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Promega Biotechnology Award and the E.O. Lawrence Award from the Department of Energy. Dr. Fraser uses her skills and position of leadership in genome sciences to improve the lives of women throughout the world.

Study Co-Investigator

• Maureen A. Kane, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy and Executive Director of the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy Mass Spectrometry Center. She received a B.S. in Chemistry from Canisius College (Buffalo, NY), a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and completed postdoctoral training at the University of California, Berkeley.

• The Kane Lab focuses on elucidating disease mechanisms towards identifying new therapeutic targets and informing on mechanism(s) of action of current drug candidates using a combination of mass spectrometry-based techniques including quantitative LC-MS/MS, metabolomics, lipidomics, proteomics, and mass spectrometry imaging. Dr. Kane led the construction of the Mass Spectrometry Center that now hosts seventeen (17) state-of-the-art mass spectrometers with comprehensive analytical capabilities. As an expert in various aspects of endogenous metabolism, Dr. Kane will lead efforts to quantify serum butyrate, a short chain fatty acid produced by the gut microbiome that has an effect on immune system function, as one of the key metrics for assessing the biologic effect of the prebiotic treatment.

Study Consultant

• Dr. Mary Ellen Sanders, through her business Dairy & Food Culture Technologies, consults on all aspects of probiotic applications in the food and supplement industries. She believes probiotics will flourish only if available products are scientifically validated, responsibly produced and accurately labeled. She strives to balance the potential consumer benefits of probiotics with an understanding of the emerging science. Based on her extensive work with manufacturers, academicians and regulators, she offers a comprehensive perspective to those interested in the continued emergence of the probiotic industry.

• Dr. Sanders also serves as the Executive Science Officer for the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics.

Statistician

• Frank D’Amico, PhD, is a Professor of Statistics and the Director of the Data Analysis Institute at Duquesne University. He enjoys teaching and is noted for using many types of hands-on toys for demonstrating methodological concepts at local, regional, and national conferences. His name appears on more than 140 peer-reviewed published medical journal articles. In his spare time, you can find him on the golf practice driving range or doing general aviation flying around Western Pennsylvania.

Project Coordinator

• Keisha Herbin-Smith received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Masters’ degree at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. For three years, she worked for the State of North Carolina as a research specialist for the North Carolina Birth Defects Monitoring Program. Keisha worked with Dr. Merenstein at Georgetown University as a research assistant for a large pediatric study, and has served as the Project Coordinator for the SIPPY, PHASE, and PLAY studies.

• Keisha is married with 2 boys, ages 5 and 9. Ask Keisha about working out, her new diet plan (quickly, as it changes frequently), teaching card making classes, carpooling, PTA, teaching Sunday School, juggling motherhood and work, UNC basketball and annoying Dan by procrastinating.