Katherine Shim, PhD Assistant Professor Division of Research Department of Otolaryngology & Communication Sciences
Dr. Shim is interested in how the three-dimensional structure of the inner ear is formed during embryonic development and how the sensory regions of the inner ear epithelium are patterned.
Dr. Shim takes a molecular and genetic approach to understanding inner ear development in the mouse, and current work is focused on understanding the role of the Sprouty family of receptor tyrosine kinase antagonists in inner ear development and function. In particular, Dr. Shim found that Sprouty2 mutant mice are born with severe hearing impairment associated with a postnatal cell fate transformation of a Deiters' cell into a pillar cell, resulting in the formation of an ectopic space (tunnel of Corti) within the auditory sensory epithelium.
It is her hope that these studies will uncover mechanisms by which congenital hearing and balance disorders arise, and provide clues to their treatment.
Education/Training
Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 1993
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 2001
Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 2007
Society Memberships
Research Interests
Specification and morphogenesis of the inner ear epithelium
Patterning of the auditory sensory epithelium