Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Stanford University, School of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Palo Alto, CA

Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences: Creighton University, School of Medicine, Omaha, NE

M.A., Education: Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ

B.S., Biological Sciences: University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO

Educator of the Year, Class of 2026, AU/UGA Medical Partnership (2023)

Excellence in Scholarship Award, AU/UGA Medical Partnership (2022)

Faculty Representative nominated by the Class of 2025 as a Coater for White Coat Ceremony, AU/UGA Medical Partnership (2021)

Midwest Association of Graduate Schools Excellence in Teaching Award Nomination for Creighton University (2020)

Invited international speaker, 5th Chinese Hearing Research Conference, Beijing, China (2019)

Giffen, K. P., Li, Y., Liu, H., Zhao, X. C., Zhang, C. J., Shen, R. J., … & He, D. Z. (2022). Mutation of SLC7A14 Causes Auditory Neuropathy and Retinitis Pigmentosa Mediated by Lysosomal Dysfunction. Scientific Advances, 8(14), abk0942. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abk0942

Liu, H., Giffen, K. P., Chen, L., Henderson, H., Cao, T., Kozeny, G., Beisel, K., Li, Y., He, D.Z. (2022). Molecular and cytological profiling of biological aging of mouse cochlear inner and outer hair cells. Cell Reports, 39, 2, 110665. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110665

Giffen, K. P., Liu, H., Grati, M. H., Morrill, S. W., Li, Y., Liu, X., … & He, D. Z. (2021). Transcription co-factor LBH is necessary for the survival of cochlear hair cells. Journal of cell science, 134(7), jcs254458. DOI: 10.1242/jcs.254458

Giffen, K. P., Liu, H., Kramer, K. L., & He, D. Z. (2019). Expression of protein-coding gene orthologs in zebrafish and mouse inner ear non-sensory supporting cells. Frontiers in neuroscience, 1117. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01117

Liu, H., Chen, L., Giffen, K. P., Stringham, S. T., Li, Y., Judge, P. D., … & He, D. Z. (2018). Cell-specific transcriptome analysis shows that adult pillar and Deiters’ cells express genes encoding machinery for specializations of cochlear hair cells. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 356. DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00356

Content expertise: Gross Anatomy, Neuroanatomy, Neuroscience, & Physiology

Teaching activities:

Anatomy Lab
IPE
Large Group Instructor
Simulation
Small Group Facilitator
Ultrasound

Seminars and Invited Talks

Building better communication through improvisation, Invited Focus Session. IAMSE annual meeting, Denver, CO, June 2022.

Identification of a novel gene in syndromic hearing loss. Mechanisms of Disease Seminar Series. AU/UGA Medical Partnership, September 2021.

The genetics of hearing loss. Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, January 2020.

Research Interests

-Basic Science

Genetics of hearing loss

Inner ear regeneration

Therapeutics to prevent drug-induced ototoxicity

-Medical Education

Metacognition and learning