Lee A. Denson, MD
- Director, Schubert-Martin Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center
- Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
- lee.denson@cchmc.org
- Board Certified
About
Biography
I am a gastroenterologist who specializes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) clinical care and research. In addition to serving as director of the Schubert-Martin Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Cincinnati Children’s, I hold the M. Susan Moyer Chair in pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases.
My research interests include the pathogenesis and treatment of IBD, with a focus on microbial targeted therapies. Our lab aims to improve healing and length of remission for patients with IBD — and ultimately provide a cure.
For example, using both murine and patient-based approaches, we’re working to define mechanisms that link neutralizing GM-CSF autoantibodies to neutrophil dysfunction and more severe small bowel Crohn’s disease. Our goal is to develop diagnostic biomarkers that may lead to novel targeted treatments.
We’ve also sought to determine the molecular basis for alterations in growth hormone signaling in IBD. Normal growth and development are dependent upon the ability of growth hormone to regulate IGF-1 expression. Evidence from studies in children with IBD, and mouse models of colitis, indicates that inflammatory cytokines, which are up regulated in this setting, may cause an acquired resistance to growth hormone. Consequences may include growth failure, altered body composition and impaired mucosal healing.
We’ve used complementary experimental and patient-based approaches to investigate regulation of growth hormone signaling in mouse models of colitis and in children with Crohn's disease. This includes down-regulation of the growth hormone receptor and up-regulation of a family of post-receptor inhibitory proteins, the Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS). These studies should lead to the development of more effective therapies for children with IBD and other chronic inflammatory conditions.
I’ve received numerous awards and appointments throughout my career. These include the Sherman Prize and a Cincinnati Children’s Faculty Mentor Award.
MD: Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA, 1993.
Residency: Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, 1993-96.
Certification: Pediatrics, 1996 and 2002.
Fellowship: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 1996-99.
Interests
Inflammatory bowel disease; growth failure; celiac disease
Services and Specialties
Gastroenterology GI, Colorectal Disorders, Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD, Autoimmune Liver Disease
Research Areas
Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition
Insurance Information
Cincinnati Children's strives to accept a wide variety of health plans. Please contact your health insurance carrier to verify coverage for your specific benefit plan.
Publications
Early Life Exposure to Parental Crohn's Disease Is Associated With Offspring's Gut Microbiome, Gut Permeability, and Increased Risk of Future Crohn's Disease. Gastroenterology. 2025; 168:385-388.e3.
P1314 Multi-omics analysis of Crohn’s Disease trajectory from active to remission reveals that the altered ileal anti-bacterial epithelial signals and pathogenic microbial composition and metabolomics persist despite normalizing ileal immune signals during remission. Journal of Crohn's and Colitis. 2025; 19:i2368-i2370.
Intestinal E. coli-produced yersiniabactin promotes profibrotic macrophages in Crohn's disease. Cell Host and Microbe. 2025; 33:71-88.e9.
Healthy First-Degree Relatives From Multiplex Families vs Simplex Families Have Higher Subclinical Intestinal Inflammation, a Distinct Fecal Microbial Signature, and Harbor a Higher Risk of Developing Crohn's Disease. Gastroenterology. 2025; 168:99-110.e2.
Development and Validation of an Integrative Risk Score for Future Risk of Crohn's Disease in Healthy First-Degree Relatives: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study. Gastroenterology. 2025; 168:150-153.e4.
Deriving Human Intestinal Organoids with Functional Tissue-Resident Macrophages All From Pluripotent Stem Cells. CMGH Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2025; 19:101444.
Diet-omics in the Study of Urban and Rural Crohn disease Evolution (SOURCE) cohort. Nature Communications. 2024; 15:3764.
The role of pancreatitis risk genes in diabetes development post index admission of acute pancreatitis in children. Pancreatology : official journal of the International Association of Pancreatology (IAP) ... [et al.]. 2024; 24:e10-e11.
Crohn's Patients and Healthy Infants Share Immunodominant B Cell Response to Commensal Flagellin Peptide Epitopes. Gastroenterology. 2024; 167:1415-1428.
STARD7 maintains intestinal epithelial mitochondria architecture, barrier integrity, and protection from colitis. JCI insight. 2024; 9:e172978.
From the Blog
Our 2019 Research Annual Report
Lee A. Denson, MD, John Hogenesch, PhD ...2/4/2020
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