Biography
I grew up on the west coast and did my undergraduate studies in biology and chemistry at ÐßÐßÊÓƵ. After graduating from ÐßÐßÊÓƵ in 2008, I worked in research and development at a pharmaceutical company and then taught second grade in a bilingual school in Gracias, Honduras. I went on to earn a Ph.D. in toxicology at the University of Michigan, did my postdoc in pediatric infectious disease at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, and returned to ÐßÐßÊÓƵ as a faculty member in 2016. When I am not teaching or in the lab, I can usually be found spending time with friends and family. I enjoy cooking for lots of people, canning, and spending time in the outdoors (canoeing, camping, hiking, etc.). Life always seems better in a canoe.
Education
- Ph.D. in Toxicology, University of Michigan (2014)
- B.S. in Biology, ÐßÐßÊÓƵ College (2008)
Professional Experience
- ÐßÐßÊÓƵ, Associate Professor of Biology (2023–present)
- University of Michigan, Visiting Scholar in Environmental Health Sciences (2024–2025)
- ÐßÐßÊÓƵ, MPH Program Director (2021–2024)
- ÐßÐßÊÓƵ, Assistant Professor of Biology (2016–2023)
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Postdoctoral Fellow (2014–2016)
- Bend Research, Research Intern (2007–2009)
Academic Interests
I am interested in animal physiology, toxicology, human reproductive biology, and public health. I teach a variety of human and animal biology courses and labs including physiological systems and pathophysiology. I also get to apply the biological principles I teach when conducting research with students in my lab. My research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
In addition, I teach a public health course about the impact of clean water. Students spend the first 8 weeks of the semester learning how the availability of clean water relates to nutrition, poverty, life expectancy, education, employment, and income of different communities. Students then get to travel to Honduras, Navajo Nation, and/or Kenya during spring break, and when they return, we spend time debriefing their experiences and writing a policy proposal.
Research
My lab studies how pregnancy is affected by both infections and environmental chemicals. We are especially interested in what happens at the maternal-fetal interface, the place where the mother and developing baby interact. Our research looks at how bacteria such as Group B Streptococcus and toxic chemicals such as trichloroethylene (TCE) can change immune responses, alter inflammation, and increase the risk of pregnancy complications like preterm birth. By studying these processes, we hope to better understand how to keep pregnancies and babies healthy.
Publications
(*ÐßÐßÊÓƵ undergraduate students)
T Russell, E Elkin, J Dou, J Ciarelli, E Boldenow, V Padmanabhan, JA Colacino, KM Bakulski, SM Harris. 2026. Trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene metabolites have fetal sex-specific RNA expression impacts in a full term placental villous explant model. .
A Benjamin, E Boldenow, S Jaber, K Bakulski, J Dou, J Colacino, P Mancuso, S Harris. 2025. Evaluating impacts of the trichloroethylene metabolite S-(1,2-dichlorovyinyl)-L-cysteine on transcriptomic responses and cytokine release in a macrophage model: implications for pregnancy outcomes. .
HR Park, SM Harris, E Boldenow, DM Aronoff, M Rea, C Xi, R Loch-Caruso. 2024. The antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine inhibits cytokine and prostaglandin release in human fetal membranes stimulated ex vivo with lipoteichoic acid or live group B streptococcus. .
ER Elkin, AL Su, JF Dou, JA Colacino, D Bridges, V Padmanabhan, SM Harris, E Boldenow, R Loch-Caruso, KM Bakulski. 2023. Sexually concordant and dimorphic transcriptional responses to maternal trichloroethylene and/or N-acetyl cysteine exposure in Wistar rat placental tissue. .
SM Harris, KM Bakulski, J Dou, E Houskamp*, EC Scheeres*, E Schellenboom*, O Harlow*, R Loch-Caruso, E Boldenow. 2022. The trichloroethylene metabolite S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-l-cysteine inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation transcriptomic pathways and cytokine secretion in a macrophage cell model. .
SM Harris, E Boldenow, SE Domino, R Loch-Caruso. 2020. Toxicant disruption of immune defenses: potential implications for fetal membranes and pregnancy. .
J Vornhagen, B Armistead, V Santana-Ufret, C Gendrin, S Merillat, M Coleman, P Quach, E Boldenow, V Alishetti, C Leonhard-Melief, LY Ngo, C Whidbey, KS Doran, C Curtis, KMA Waldorf, E Nance, L Rajagopal L. 2018. Group B streptococcus exploits vaginal epithelial exfoliation for ascending infection. .
T Mitchell, JW MacDonald, S Srinouanpranchanh, TK Bammler, S Merillat, E Boldenow, M Coleman, K Agnew, A Baldessari, JE Stencel-Baerenwald, J Tisoncik-Go, RR Green, MJ Gale Jr, L Rajagopal, KM Adams Waldorf. 2018. Evidence of cardiac involvement in the fetal inflammatory response syndrome: disruption of gene networks programming cardiac development in nonhuman primates. .
KM Adams Waldorf, BR Nelson, JE Stencel-Baerenwald, C Studholme, RP Kapur, B Armistead, CL Walker, S Merillat, J Vornhagen, J Tisoncik-Go, A Baldessari, M Coleman, MK Dighe, DWW Shaw, JA Roby, V Santana-Ufret, E Boldenow, J Li, X Gao, MA Davis, JA Swanstrom, K Jensen, DG Widman, RS Baric, JT Medwid, KA Hanley, J Ogle, GM Gough, W Lee, C English, WM Durning, J Thiel, C Gatenby, EC Dewey, MR Fairgrieve, RD Hodge, RF Grant, L Kuller, WB Dobyns, RF Hevner, M Gale Jr, L Rajagopal. 2018. Congenital Zika virus infection as a silent pathology with loss of neurogenic output in the fetal brain. .
HR Park, SM Harris, E Boldenow, RC McEachin, M Sartor, M Chames, R Loch-Caruso. 2018. Group B streptococcus activates transcriptomic pathways related to premature birth in human extraplacental membranes in vitro. .
C Gendrin, NJ Shubin, E Boldenow, S Merillat, M Clauson, D Power, KS Doran, M Abrink, G Pejler, L Rajagopal, AM Piliponsky. 2018. Mast cell chymase decreases the severity of group B Streptococcus infections. .
E Boldenow, C Gendrin, L Ngo, C Bierle, J Vornhagen, M Coleman, S Merillat, B Armistead, C Whidbey, V Alishetti, V Santana-Ufret, J Ogle, M Gough, S Srinouanprachanh, JW MacDonald, TK Bammler, A Bansal, HD Liggitt, L Rajagopal, KM Adams Waldorf. 2016. Group B Streptococcus circumvents neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps during amniotic cavity invasion and preterm labor. .
KM Adams Waldorf, JE Stencel-Baerenwald, RP Kapur, C Studholme, E Boldenow, J Vornhagen, A Baldessari, MK Dighe, J Thiel, S Merillat, B Armistead, J Tisoncik-Go, RR Green, MA Davis, EC Dewey, MR Fairgrieve, JC Gatenby, T Richards, GA Garden, MS Diamond, SE Juul, RF Grant, L Kuller, DW Shaw, J Ogle, GM Gough, W Lee, C English, RF Hevner, WB Dobyns, M Gale Jr, L Rajagopal. 2016. Fetal brain lesions after subcutaneous inoculation of Zika virus in a pregnant nonhuman primate. .
J Vornhagen, P Quach, E Boldenow, S Merillat, C Whidbey, LY Ngo, KM Adams Waldorf, L Rajagopal. 2016. Bacterial hyaluronidase promotes ascending GBS infection and preterm bBirth. .
C Gendrin, J Vornhagen, L Ngo, C Whidbey, E Boldenow, V Santana-Ufret, M Clauson, K Burnside, DP Galloway, KM Adams Waldorf, AM Piliponsky, L Rajagopal. 2015. Mast cell degranulation by a hemolytic lipid toxin decreases GBS colonization and infection. .
RM McAdams, CJ Bierle, E Boldenow, S Weed, J Tsai, RP Beyer, JW MacDonald, TK Bammler, HD Liggitt, FM Farin, J Vanderhoeven, L Rajagopal, KM Adams Waldorf. 2015. Choriodecidual group B Streptococcal infection induces miR-155-5p in the fetal lung in Macaca nemestrina. .
C Whidbey, J Vornhagen, C Gendrin, E Boldenow, JM Samson, K Doering, L Ngo, EA Ezekwe Jr, JH Gundlach, MA Elovitz, D Liggitt, JA Duncan, KM Adams Waldorf, L Rajagopal. 2015. A streptococcal lipid toxin induces membrane permeabilization and pyroptosis leading to fetal injury. .
E Boldenow, I Hassan, MC Chames, C Xi, R Loch-Caruso. 2015. The trichloroethylene metabolite S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-l-cysteine but not trichloroacetate inhibits pathogen-stimulated TNF-α in human extraplacental membranes in vitro. .
E Boldenow, KA Hogan, MC Chames, DM Aronoff, C Xi, R Loch-Caruso. 2015. Role of cytokine signaling in group B Streptococcus-stimulated expression of human beta defensin-2 in human extraplacental membranes. .
ML Korir, D Knupp, K LeMerise, E Boldenow, R Loch-Caruso, DM Aronoff, SD Manning. 2014. Association and virulence gene expression vary among serotype III group B streptococcus isolates following exposure to decidual and lung epithelial cells. .
E Boldenow, S Jones, RW Lieberman, MC Chames, DM Aronoff, C Xi, R Loch-Caruso. 2013. Antimicrobial peptide response to group B Streptococcus in human extraplacental membranes in culture. .
Teaching
My courses often focus on biological function: how things work in the body and what can go wrong when function is altered. Regardless of the topic, I always try to utilize best teaching practices for knowledge retention. In my classes, we do a lot of active learning—stopping regularly throughout lecture to think, practice, and apply the concepts we just learned about.
Awards
- 2025, ÐßÐßÊÓƵ From Every Nation Award for Excellence in Teaching
- 2021, ÐßÐßÊÓƵ Exceptional Service Award
Grants
- 2026–2031, co-investigator (PI: Sean Harris, University of Michigan), NIH R01 Grant 1R01ES038132-01: Volatile organic compound impacts on immune functions during pregnancy: molecular mechanisms for potential interventions ($2,498,572)
