The role of T cell immunometabolic function in chronic inflammation is a key focus of Dr. Henrickson’s lab. She and her team are studying the impact of pediatric asthma and obesity on immune function, including response to vaccines. Based on her study of CHOP patients with obesity, asthma, and obese asthma, they are now testing the hypotheses that resulted, working with mouse models of obese asthma and human cells in vitro, as well as starting new human studies.

Dr. Henrickson and her lab also study the mechanisms of T cell dysfunction in primary immunodeficiency. She and her lab have studied the earliest stages of T cell activation and have used whole-exome sequencing to uncover novel causes of immunodeficiency in families with severe persistent skin viral infections with genetic disease. They are also studying immunometabolic function in patients with known primary immunodeficiency to better target mechanism of disease in these patients.

Across these studies, Dr. Henrickson and her team use complementary approaches working with humans and mice, leveraging detailed immunophenotyping and metabolic characterization of immune dysfunction in patients, in order to identify and test mechanistic hypotheses to better treat patients and better understand key immune pathways.

AB, Harvard College (Biochemical Sciences), 2001

MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School (Immunology), 2011

Resident, Boston Combined Residency Program in Pediatrics, 2011-2013

Resident, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Pediatrics), 2013-2014

Fellow, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Allergy Immunology, 2014-2017

Attending Physician

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

American Association of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

American Association of Immunologists

American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

American Pediatric Association

Clinical Immunology Society

Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies

North American Immuno-Hematology Clinical Education and Research Consortium

Society for Pediatric Dermatology

AAAAI Foundation Faculty Development Grant (summary: Ballas, JACI, July 2018), 2018-2021

Burroughs-Wellcome Fund CAMS grant recipient (BWF Awards Recognize Young Investigators, Innovative Research), 2018-2023

NIAID K08 recipient (1K08AI135091; “Obesity dysregulates immune and metabolic status in asthma and alters infection susceptibility.”; On the Road to Better Treatments for Obese Asthmatics), 2018-2023

BWF Award Recognizes Young Investigators, Innovative Research (CHOP Research blog, Cornerstone)

Does Past Exposure to the Flu Influence Future Immune Responses? (CHOP Research blog, Cornerstone)

Past Exposures Shape Immune Response in Pediatric Acute Respiratory Infections (Penn Medicine News)

Past Exposures Shape Immune Response in Pediatric Acute Respiratory Infections (Science Daily)