Assistant Professor
Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology
John A. Burns School of Medicine
651 Ilalo St. BSB 324
Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813
Telephone: (808) 692-1578
Email: jpark25@hawaii.edu
Education
Kyung Hee University, South Korea, B.S. 2005-Biology
Seoul National University, South Korea, M.S. 2007-Cancer Biology
Seoul National University, South Korea, Ph.D. 2010-Cancer Biology
Research Interests
- Cause and consequence of innate immune dysregulation in HIV and COVID-19.
- Elucidation of mechanisms contributing to Non-AIDS-related comorbidities in people living with HIV (PLWH).
- Exploring crosstalk between fibroblasts and immune cells in pulmonary fibrosis and its implication for antifibrotic therapy.
Personal Statement
Dr. Park’s primary research interests center on exploring the cellular crosstalk that coordinates the development and progression of fibrosis. She has gained scientific knowledge within the fields of cancer biology and immunology, cell biology, and developmental biology. Her research experiences focus on the role of organ microenvironments, such as bone marrow, breast tumors, and lungs and their contribution to development, homeostasis, and disease progression.
Her short-term goal is to elucidate fibroblast-dependent mechanisms that regulate inflammation and resolution under pathologic conditions, particularly understanding the interactions between fibroblasts and immune cells during acute inflammatory response and how distinct subsets of fibroblasts drive chronic inflammation. She has initiated and participated in several projects at The Hawaiʻi Center for AIDS (HICFA), focusing on neutrophil-mediated immunopathology during HIV infection and non-infectious complications of HIV infection. Most recently, she has been involved in elucidating the pathophysiologic role of monocytes and neutrophils in the development and persistence of pulmonary Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Her long-term goals are to characterize distinct innate immune cells and fibroblasts to understand their contribution to the pathophysiology of infectious and/or chronic diseases. She expects that discoveries from her combined clinical and laboratory-based investigations will advance knowledge of how cellular heterogeneity drives fibrosis, persistent inflammation, and resolution, ultimately identifying novel pathologic biomarkers targetable by therapeutic drugs.
Ongoing Projects and Opportunities for Students to Participate
- Understanding of innate immune cell dysregulation drives development and persistence of pulmonary Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.
- Immunopathogenesis of Non-AIDS-related comorbidities in PLWH.
- Understanding mechanisms governing regeneration and resolution of lung inflammation.
- Understanding impact of fibroblast heterogeneity on pulmonary fibrosis.