Katie A. Waugh, Ph.D.

Professional Background

Dr. Katherine A. Waugh is a 4^th generation Jayhawk and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She earned her Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Colorado – School of Medicine at National Jewish Health and has previous experience working in large-scale, team-based research initiatives at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome (www.trisome.org).

• BA, Microbiology, University of Kansas
• PhD, Immunology, University of Colorado - School of Medicine
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Down syndrome, Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome
• Other, Instructor - Cytokine Signaling, Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado - School of Medicine

Research

Overview

Valid science relies on heterogenous perspectives and values. We therefore strive to be a highly collaborative research laboratory that applies an immunogenetics lens more broadly to developmental biology through an efficient team-oriented systemic approach. This is a surprisingly rare tactic with potential for immediate clinical impact in our era of emerging global infectious disease. For although immunogenetics traditionally mines the genetic basis of immune responses, including identification of genes that potentiate defects of the immune system, it is unusual to come across studies to define variants in immune genes that impact development of other organ systems, as is commonly done in cancer immunology. To this end, we capitalize on recent advances in genomics to probe the impacts of inflammatory signaling cascades on organismal growth and development with a focus on immune genes triplicated in trisomy of human chromosome 21 (i.e., Trisomy 21 or “Down syndrome”). Through this work, we aim to establish an innovative foundation for precise immunomodulatory strategies that target critical developmental windows to improve health trajectories for individuals with Down syndrome across the lifespan.

Mentoring Statement: I take great satisfaction in building personalized mentorship programs. A lot of my time and effort are invested in tailored training, and I encourage the same commitment from mentees. Available tools are leveraged for more efficient development (myIDP) and evolution (StrengthsFinder 2.0) of mentorship programs. Mentee projects within the scope of our broader research program can then appeal to their career goals through experiment engagement and guided discussions. Importantly, I work to establish mentorship programs with all trainees, including students and postdoctoral fellows, as well as research technicians, assistants, and associates. The overall lab environment that I strive for is therefore collegial with active learning opportunities available for diverse career trajectories.

Current Projects: (1) "Characteristics of Individuals with Down Syndrome and Immune Dysregulation Across the Lifespan," Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute; (2) "Metabolic Health, Lifestyle, and Risk of Co-Occurring Health Conditions in Down Syndrome (MET-DS)," NIH; (3) "Immune-Metabolic Crosstalk in Down Syndrome Associated Alzheimer's Disease" led by Sunita Varghese (PhD Doctoral Candidate); (4) "Developmental Origins of Aberrant Neurological Trajectories in Down Syndrome" led by Hayden Hawks (MD/PhD Graduate Student), Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE); (5) "Maternal Immune Activation as a Moderator of Congenital Heart Defects in Down Syndrome" led by Dr. Abhik Saha (Senior Scientist)

• Reeser RS, VeDepo MC, Hewawasam RS, Waugh KA, KA Schade, Abdel-Hafiz M, Pena B, Mestroni L, Sbaizero O, Espinosa JM, Magin C, Jacot JG. 2026. Aberrant Tissue Mechanics and Mechanotransduction During Heart Development in Down Syndrome. J Biomech. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021929025006153?via%3Dihub
• Waugh KatherineA, Wilkins HeatherM, Ptomey LaurenT. 2025. Charting the future: current and future directions in translational research for individuals with Down syndrome. J Neurodev Disord. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11689-025-09630-8
• Rachubinski AL, Wallace E, Gurnee E, Enriquez Estrada BA, Worek KR , Smith KP, Waugh KA, Granrath RE, Lyford HR, Donovan MG, Paul Eduthan N, Hill AA, Martin B, Sullivan KD, Patel L, Fidler DJ, Galbraith MD, Dunnick CA, Norris DA, Espinosa JM. 2024. JAK inhibition decreases the autoimmune burden in Down syndrome. eLife. https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/99323
• Donovan MicahG, Eduthan NeethaP, Smith KeithP, Britton EleanorC, Lyford HannahR, Araya Paula, Granrath RossE, Waugh KatherineA, Enriquez Estrada Belinda, Rachubinski AngelaL, Sullivan KellyD, Galbraith MatthewD, Espinosa JoaquinM. 2024. Variegated overexpression of chromosome 21 genes reveals molecular and immune subtypes of Down syndrome. Nature Communications. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-49781-1
• Waugh KatherineA, Minter Ross, Baxter Jessica, Chi Congwu, Galbraith MatthewD, Tuttle KathrynD, Eduthan NeethaP, Kinning KohlT, Andrysik Zdenek, Araya P, Dougherty Hannah, Dunn LaurenN, Ludwig Mike, Schade KyndalA, Tracy Dayna, Smith KeithP, Granrath RossE, Busquet Nicolas, Khanal Santosh, Anderson RyanD, Cox LizaL, Enriquez-Estrada Belinda, Rachubinski AngelaL, Lyford Hannah, Britton EllaC, Fantauzzo KatieA, Orlicky DavidJ, Matsuda JenniferL, Song Kunhua, Cox TimothyC, Sullivan KellyD, Espinosa JoaquinM. 2023. Triplication of the interferon receptor locus contributes to hallmarks of Down syndrome in a mouse model. Nature Genetics. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-023-01399-7
• Tuttle KathrynD, Waugh KatherineA, Araya Paula, Minter Ross, Orlicky DavidJ, Ludwig Mike, Andrysik Zdenek, Burchill MatthewA, Tamburini BethAJ, Sempeck Colin, Smith KeithP, Granrath RossE, Tracy Dayna, Baxter Jessica, Espinosa JoaquinM, Sullivan KellyD. 2020. JAK1 Inhibition Blocks Lethal Immune Hypersensitivity in a Mouse Model of Down Syndrome. Cell Reports. https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/pdf/S2211-1247(20)31396-6.pdf
• Powers RaniK, Culp-Hill Rachel, Ludwig MikeP, Smith KeithP, Waugh KatherineA, Minter RossM, Tuttle KathrynD, Lewis HannahC, Rachubinski AngelaL, Granrath RossE, Carmona-Iragui Maria, Wilkerson RebeccaB, Kahn DarcyE, Joshi Molishree, Lleó Alberto, Blesa Rafael, Fortea Juan, D'Alessandro Angelo, Costello JamesC, Sullivan KellyD, Espinosa JoaquinM. 2019. Trisomy 21 activates the kynurenine pathway via increased dosage of interferon receptors. Nature Communications. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12739-9
• Araya P, Waugh KatherineA, Sullivan KellyD, Núñez NicolasG, Roselli Emiliano, Smith KeithP, Granrath RossE, Rachubinski AngelaL, Enriquez Estrada Belinda, Butcher EricT, Minter Ross, Tuttle KathrynD, Bruno TulliaC, Maccioni Mariana, Espinosa JoaquinM. 2019. Trisomy 21 dysregulates T cell lineages toward an autoimmunity-prone state associated with interferon hyperactivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1908129116
• Waugh KatherineA, Araya Paula, Pandey Ahwan, Jordan Kimberly, Smith KeithP, Granrath RossE, Khanal Santosh, Butcher EricT, Enriquez Estrada Belinda, Rachubinski AngelaL, McWilliams JenniferA, Minter Ross, Dimasi Tiana, Colvin KelleyL, Baturin Dmitry, Pham AndrewT, Galbraith MatthewD, Bartsch KyleW, Yeager MichaelE, Porter ChristopherC, Sullivan KellyD, Hsieh ElenaWY, Espinosa JoaquinM. 2019. Mass Cytometry Reveals Global Immune Remodeling with Multi-lineage Hypersensitivity to Type I Interferon in Down Syndrome. Cell Reports. https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(19)31352-X
• Waugh KatherineA, Leach SoniaM, Moore BrandonL, Bruno TulliaC, Buhrman JonathanD, Slansky JillE. 2016. Molecular Profile of Tumor-Specific CD8+ T Cell Hypofunction in a Transplantable Murine Cancer Model. Journal of Immunology. https://journals.aai.org/jimmunol/article/197/4/1477/106044/Molecular-Profile-of-Tumor-Specific-CD8-T-Cell