Principal Investigator

Lori Holtz earned a bachelor’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from Tulane University in 1999 and a medical degree from The Ohio State University in 2003. She then completed a pediatric residency at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in 2006 and a pediatric gastroenterology fellowship at Washington University in 2009. Due to her interests in both infectious diseases and gastroenterology, she chose to spend her fellowship in the laboratory of David Wang, PhD. There she learned to use sequencing approaches to search for new viruses in diarrhea. During her tenure in the Wang lab, she discovered or co-discovered novel viruses, (cosavirus E-1, klassevirus, WU asfarvirus, astrovirus MLB2, astrovirus MLB3, astrovirus VA2, astrovirus VA3, and astrovirus VA4) and began to define these virus’ epidemiology and seroepidemiology. To further pursue her scientific interests which lie at the intersection of metagenomics, epidemiology, virology, gastroenterology and global health, Dr. Holtz pursed a Master of Science of Public Health degree at St. Louis University which she completed in 2014. Holtz is founder and director of The Celiac Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She started her translational research laboratory in 2013. Outside of the lab and hospital she enjoys spending time with her family, yoga, and traveling to warm places.