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Kathryn E. Oliver, PhD, MS (she/her/hers)

Emory University School of Medicine

Dr. Kathryn E. Oliver is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine, and she has pursued studies of basic/translational CF pathogenesis since 2009. Her M.S. thesis encompassed investigations of metabolically driven differences in virulence factor production among non-CF and CF-adapted isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. As a predoctoral student, she utilized high-throughput yeast phenomics to identify genetic modifiers of aberrant ABC protein processing and elucidated (for the first time) effects of ribosomal perturbation on CFTR synthesis, trafficking, and activity. During postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Oliver evaluated CFTR translation kinetics in vitro and in vivo following suppression of ribosomal components. She presented her findings at the 2017 NACFC and received the “Junior Investigator Best Abstract in Basic Science Award."

As a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Emory, Dr. Oliver’s current research program employs interdisciplinary approaches in biochemistry, cellular physiology, and functional genomics to better delineate genetic factors that influence severity of rare CFTR variants. Emphasis is placed on CFTR defects ineligible for clinically approved modulators, particularly variants encoded among minoritized geographic ancestries. With support from NIH (K99/R00) and CFF (K-Boost), she has shown that distinct ribosomal proteins are important mediators of CFTR folding and premature termination codon (PTC) molecular phenotype. Dr. Oliver’s laboratory performs cutting-edge investigations that: (1) advance new assays which monitor CFTR domain interactions and functional expression; (2) evaluate changes in ribosome assembly, translation speed, and mRNA stability; and (3) generate mice with ribosomal gene disruption (heterozygous) to be used for in vivo assessments. Her immediate scientific objectives are to improve understanding of CF disease mechanism using novel studies to address PTC fidelity, mRNA surveillance pathways, and translation velocity during CFTR protein synthesis. Dr. Oliver has leveraged this expertise while serving on the national CFF Guidelines Steering Committee (2022-present), CFF Guidelines Committee for CRMS/CFSPID (2021-2023), and the Georgia Department of Public Health Newborn Screening CF Subcommittee (2021-present).

In addition to rigorous research, Dr. Oliver participates in civic and science-based outreach activities, many of which are motivated by her experience as mother to a young child with CF. While at UAB, she served as the CF Research Center’s Team Leader for the Alabama Chapter Great Strides walk, two-time Presenting Scholar for the community seminar series “Discoveries In The Making,” and President of Graduate Biomedical Student Outreach. For efforts such as these, she received the "2016 UAB Community Impact Award," an honor given annually to an outstanding undergraduate, graduate, or professional student (including ~19,000 eligible candidates at the University). After moving to Emory, she participated in the CFF Georgia Chapter Tomorrow's Leaders Program, “Wish for Wendy” softball tournament, and Atlanta Great Strides. Due to her strong passion for empowering the next generation of women in STEM, Dr. Oliver also founded the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) Georgia Chapter. Under her leadership, this organization received the "2021 National AWIS Innovative Outreach Award," distinguished among 30+ AWIS chapters across the United States.

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