Principal Investigator
Hongjun Wang, PhD
Professor, Scientific Director,
Center for Cellular Therapy
Dr. Wang received her Ph.D. degree from China Agricultural University in 1998. She was trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy, and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital prior to joining Dr. Fritz Bach’s lab at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. She was promoted as an Instructor (2002-2007) and an Assistant Professor (2008-2011) at the Harvard Medical school. She then joined the Medical University of South Carolina in 2011 as an Associate Professor and was promoted to full professor in 2016.
The Wang lab has stayed focused on islet biology and transplantation immunology for the treatment of diabetes and chronic pancreatitis. Dr. Wang also serves as the co-Scientific Director for the Center for Cellular Therapy at MUSC, which allowed her to transition into a translational research scientist in the field of stem cell therapy and human islet transplantation. Dr. Wang has successfully organized and led multidisciplinary research teams, including physicians and scientists, to the execution of four clinical trials using approaches to prevent diabetes in type 1 diabetes and chronic pancreatitis patients. She has trained more than 30 postdoctoral fellows, medical students, Ph.D. students, junior faculty, and residents so far.
843-792-1800
Co-Investigators
Charlie Strange, MD
Professor of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine
Dr. Strange received his undergraduate degree at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, and his medical degree at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. His professional life has been dedicated to translational research for rare diseases with special interest in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. He cares for patients with advanced lung disease, and is an expert in clinical trial design and management, bronchoscopic therapies for COPD, and genetic lung diseases. With more than 300 publications, he serves as a mentor to many faculty and fellows.
843-792-3174
Katherine Morgan, MD, FACS
Professor and Section Head of GI/Laparoscopic Surgery
Katherine A. Morgan, M.D., FACS was raised in Atlanta, GA and received her undergraduate degree with distinction from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA in 1994.
She underwent her medical education at Emory University in Atlanta, graduating summa cum laude in 1998. She went on to complete her general surgical training at Emory.
Dr Morgan joined the faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina as Assistant Professor of Surgery in 2003.
She is now Professor and Chief of the Division of GI & Laparoscopic Surgery at MUSC. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery and a member of the American Surgical Association, the Southern Surgical Association, the American Hepatopancreatobiliary Association, the Pancreas Club, and several other regional and national surgical societies.
Her special surgical interests include pancreatobiliary surgery, foregut surgery, and robotic surgery. She engages in clinical outcomes research, and is the surgical director of the pancreatic islet transplant program.
843-876-4268
William Lancaster, MD, FACS
Assistant Professor of
GI/Laparoscopic Surgery
Dr. Lancaster attended medical school at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, where he graduated magna cum laude and completed his surgical residency at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he served as administrative chief resident. While in the General Surgery Residency Education program at MUSC, Dr. Lancaster received numerous awards, including the David J. Cole Professionalism Award, the MUSC Department of Surgery Resident Research Award, and the Arnold P. Gold Humanism Award.He then completed a fellowship in hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery at the University of Indiana. The one-year transition-to-practice program provides the most robust HPB operative experience available in North America and emphasizes preoperative, operative and postoperative care. Upon completion of his HPB fellowship, Dr. Lancaster joined MUSC as an assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Gastrointestinal & Laparoscopic Surgery.He then completed a fellowship in hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery at the University of Indiana. The one-year transition-to-practice program provides the most robust HPB operative experience available in North America and emphasizes preoperative, operative and postoperative care. Upon completion of his HPB fellowship, Dr. Lancaster joined MUSC as an assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Gastrointestinal & Laparoscopic Surgery.
843-792-9393
Deborah Bowlby, MD, MSc
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Division Chief Pediatric Endocrinology
Dr. Bowlby started her training in Canada where she attended Queen’s University and then received her Master’s degree in Neuroendocrinology and Medical Degree at the University of Toronto. She completed her pediatric and fellowship training at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. In addition to patient care she has done clinical trials in growth and puberty. She participates in diabetes research including SEARCH and TrialNet.
843-792-6807