SUMMARY
Kathy A. Peterson, M.D., studies eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders, with a focus on eosinophilic esophagitis. Her research examines how food antigens, genetic susceptibility and mucosal immune pathways contribute to disease development and progression. She integrates clinical phenotyping with analyses of esophageal tissue, luminal secretions, antibody profiles, transcriptomics and family-based genetic data to better understand mechanisms of inflammation and recurrence.
Dr. Peterson seeks to identify biomarkers that reflect disease activity, with the goal of predicting response to dietary therapy and reducing the need for repeated endoscopy. Her research includes adult patients, families affected by eosinophilic esophagitis and multicenter patient cohorts. Her work has helped define dietary antigen exposure as a key driver of adult disease, characterize food-specific immune responses in esophageal secretions, and link familial risk to epithelial and immune dysfunction.
Focus areas
- Food-specific immune biomarkers. Dr. Peterson investigates whether antibodies and immune proteins in esophageal secretions can help identify food triggers and track inflammation. Her studies address the gap between poor performance of standard allergy testing and the need for disease-site biomarkers that can guide diet therapy.
- Diet-responsive disease mechanisms. Dr. Peterson studies how food elimination and reintroduction alter epithelial and immune activation in eosinophilic esophagitis. She uses paired clinical, tissue and transcriptomic data to define early events that occur when disease returns after antigen exposure.
- Familial and genetic risk. Dr. Peterson examines families affected by eosinophilic esophagitis and related eosinophilic gastrointestinal conditions. Her work evaluates shared genetic risk, epithelial barrier pathways and immune signatures to clarify why these diseases cluster in families.
- Less-invasive monitoring. Dr. Peterson develops tissue- and secretion-based measures of inflammation that may reduce the need for repeated endoscopy. Her approach links biomarker signals to symptoms, histology and treatment response so disease activity can be measured more precisely.
- Clinical research infrastructure. Dr. Peterson builds longitudinal patient cohorts and biospecimen resources for studies of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders. These resources support multicenter trials, biomarker discovery and mechanistic studies using deeply characterized patient samples.
Significance to patient care
Eosinophilic esophagitis can make it hard to swallow and can cause food to get stuck in the throat. It often requires repeated procedures to check for inflammation. Dr. Peterson's research focuses on making care more precise and less burdensome for patients.
Her work looks for immune signals that show which foods may trigger the disease and whether treatment is working. This may help patients choose foods more confidently and avoid unnecessary diet restrictions. It also may reduce the need for repeated endoscopies. Her research also helps healthcare professionals better understand family risk and identify the condition earlier, which may improve long-term disease control and quality of life.
Professional highlights
- National Institutes of Health:
- Chair, Data and Safety Monitoring Board for Precordia Trial, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2026-present.
- Principal investigator, RNA Sequencing of Esophageal Tissues During Food Elimination and Reintroduction Reveals Novel Findings Regarding the Early Pathogenesis of Eosinophilic Esophagitis, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 2025-2027.
- Principal investigator, Relationship of Immune Responses to Clinical Phenotype and Familial Risk in Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 2023-2025.
- Site principal investigator, Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers, 2014-2024.
- Member, Health Sciences Advisory Council, American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders, 2025-present.
- University of Utah:
- James W. Freston Presidential Endowed Chair in Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, 2020-present.
- Medical director, Clinical Trials Office, 2023-2026.
- Director of research, Gastroenterology, 2018-2026.
- Member, Medical Advisory Board, Campaign Urging Research for Eosinophilic Disease Foundation, 2018-present.
- Section editor, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, American Gastroenterological Association, 2026-2027.