Gina Calco, Ph.D.

  • Current Program Year: MS4
  • Current Student, Physiology and Pharmacology Graduate Program, School of Medicine
  • M.D./Ph.D. Program Students, School of Medicine

Biography

Dissertation Title: PhD Thesis: Increased nerve-mediated bronchoconstriction in obesity-related asthma: the central role of elevated (2020)

Gina grew up in Kalamazoo, MI and attended the University of Michigan, where she obtained her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering. During undergrad, she joined Brian Pierchala’s lab and worked on neurotrophic factors and their role in the development, maintenance and regeneration of the peripheral nervous system. Following graduation, she became a post-baccalaureate fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Richard Leapman’s lab investigating new scanning electron microscopy methods for structural and cellular biology applications. During this time, she decided to pursue the career path of a physician scientist working at the intersection of medicine and research. She began the MD/PhD program at OHSU in 2016, and after the preclinical years of medical school she joined David Jacoby’s lab, where she is studying the molecular pathways and factors contributing to obesity-related asthma. 

Education and training

  • Degrees

    • B.S.E., 2014, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
    • Ph.D., 2022, OHSU
  • Internship

    • NIH Postbac IRTA program

Memberships and associations:

  • APSA Executive Committee, MD/DO-PhD Member-at-Large, 2019
  • APSA Executive Committee, Public Relations Chair, 2020-2022

Honors and awards

  • Pulmonary & Critical Care T32 Awardee
  • F30 Ruth L. Kirschstein Fellowship

Publications

Selected publications

  • Calco, G.N., Fryer, A.D., and Nie, Z. Unraveling the connection between eosinophils and obesity. J Leukoc Biol. 2020 Jul;108(1):123-128. doi:10.1002/JLB.5MR0120-377R. Epub 2020 Mar 14. PMID: 32170879.
  • Proskocil, B.J., Calco, G.N., and Nie, Z. Insulin acutely increased agoinist-induced airway smooth muscle contraction in humans and rats. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2021 Apr 1;320(4):L545-L556. doi:10.1152/ajplung.00232.2020. Epub 2021 Jan 27. PMID: 33501891.

Publications