Kathryn S. Robinett, MD

Dr. Robinett graduated with honors from Virginia Tech with majors in Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biology. She went on to complete her M.D. at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. At the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill she completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine. After that, she returned to the University of Maryland School of Medicine for fellowship training in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Once her fellowship was completed she stayed on as faculty with a specific clinical and research focus on severe asthma

Dr. Robinett began research in obstructive lung disease and asthma prior to entering medical school. During her fellowship she resumed her research career with a focus on basic and translational research targeting treatments for severe asthmatics. Specifically, she has been involved with the discovery of bitter taste receptors on human airway smooth muscle and the role they could play in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). Additionally she is starting a translational research project to help understand the mechanism by which bronchial thermoplasty improves asthma symptoms and decreases severe exacerbations.

Severe Asthma, Bitter Taste Receptors, Medical Education, Admissions, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship

Chen C, Kudo M, Rutaganira F, Takano H, Lee C, Atakilit A, Robinett KS, Uede T, Wolters PJ, Shokat KM, Huang X, Sheppard D. Integrin α9β1 in airway smooth muscle suppresses exaggerated airway narrowing. J Clin Invest. 2012 Aug1;122(8):2916-27

Robinett KS, Deshpande DA, Malone MM, Liggett SB. Agonist-promoted homologous desensitization of human airway smooth muscle bitter taste receptors. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. Nov;45(5):1069-74, 2011

Despande DA, Wang WC, McIlmoyle EL, Robinett KS, Schillinger RM, An SS, Sham JS, Liggett SB. Bitter taste receptors of airway smooth muscle bronchodilate by localized calcium signaling and reverse obstruction. Nat Med. Nov;16(11):1299-1304 2010

Wald K, Martinez A, Moll S. Capnocytophaga canimorsus infection with fulminant sepsis in an asplenic patient: Diagnosis by review of peripheral blood smear. Am J Hematol. Nov;83(11):879, 2008

An SS, Robinett KS, Deshpande DA, Wang WC, Liggett SB. Reply to: Activation of BK channels may not be required for bitter tastant induced bronchodilation. Nat Med. May 4;18(5):650-1

Deshpande DA, Robinett KS, Wang WC, Sham JSK, An SS, Liggett SB. Bronchodilator activity of bitter tastants in human tissue. Nat Med. July (17):776-778 2011