Gut Microbiome

The collection of microbes that resides in the human intestine profoundly influences our metabolism, our immune system, and our susceptibility to infections. The hundreds of thousands of genes in the genomes of these microbes are attractive targets for therapeutic intervention because they are associated with distinct microbial entities that can be individually introduced or eliminated by relatively non-invasive means.

In addition, the microbiota is a notable environmental determinant of health because it’s constituents are heritable and transmissible within and across human populations. This feature presents an opportunity to make broad and long-lasting improvements to health in communities where food insecurity, infectious agents, environmental toxicants, and/or antibiotics have disrupted the optimal functions of the gut ecosystem.

Our faculty are pursuing the mechanisms that underlie gut microbiota perturbations as well as their consequences for microbial pathogenesis, immunity, neurobiology, and nutrition.

Melissa L. Caldwell

• Pronouns
  • she, her, her, hers, herself
• Title
  • Professor
• Department
  • Anthropology Department
• Campus Email
  • lissa@ucsc.edu
• Faculty Areas of Expertise
  • Russia

Nancy N. Chen

• Title
  • Professor
• Department
  • Anthropology Department
• Campus Email
  • nchen@ucsc.edu

Valerie Cortez

• Pronouns
  • she, her, her, hers, herself
• Title
  • Assistant Professor
• Department
  • Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology Department
• Campus Email
  • vccortez@ucsc.edu

James Doucet-Battle

• Title
  • Associate Professor
• Department
  • Sociology Department
• Campus Email
  • jbattle@ucsc.edu
• Faculty Areas of Expertise
  • Sociology

Regina Day Langhout

• Pronouns
  • she, her, her, hers, herself
• Title
  • Professor
• Department
  • Psychology Department
• Campus Email
  • langhout@ucsc.edu
• Faculty Areas of Expertise
  • Community-based Research

Karen M. Ottemann

• Pronouns
  • she/hers
• Title
  • Professor and Chair
• Department
  • Microbiology & Environmental Toxicology Department
• Campus Email
  • ottemann@ucsc.edu
• Faculty Areas of Expertise
  • Microbiology

Michael Patnode

• Pronouns
  • he, him, his, his, himself
• Title
  • Assistant Professor
• Department
  • Microbiology & Environmental Toxicology Department
• Campus Email
  • mpatnode@ucsc.edu

Chad W Saltikov

• Title
  • Professor
• Department
  • Microbiology & Environmental Toxicology Department
• Campus Email
  • saltikov@ucsc.edu
• Faculty Areas of Expertise
  • Microbiology

Laura M Sanchez

• Title
  • Associate Professor
• Department
  • Chemistry & Biochemistry Department
• Campus Email
  • lmsanche@ucsc.edu