Matt is an Assistant Professor in the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes within the Department of Pediatrics. He obtained a PhD in Pathology at Duke University and trained as a postdoc with Dr. Maike Sander at University of California, San Diego. Aside from beta cells, his interests include rock climbing, tennis, and cooking.  

LeAnna is an Integrated Physiology PhD student in the lab. She earned her B.S. in Biology from Indiana University in 2016, after which she worked as an insulin manufacturing scientist for Eli Lilly & Company. She returned to academic research in 2022, joining the lab of Dr. Carol Witczak at the IU School of Medicine to explore skeletal muscle metabolism and insulin sensitivity. LeAnna is excited to continue investigating mechanisms of whole-body metabolism using insulin as an anchor point while in the Wortham Lab. Outside of research, she enjoys hiking, camping, and board gaming.

Lauren is a Professional Research Assistant in the Wortham lab. She obtained her B.S. in Animal Biology at the University of Florida. After graduating, she worked as a laboratory technician at University of Florida studying repeat expansion disorders in neurodegenerative diseases. She then moved to North Carolina where she worked as a laboratory manager at North Carolina State University as well as a clinical laboratory scientist at GRAIL in Research Triangle Park performing multi-cancer early detection testing. Her hobbies include traveling, hiking, camping, and yoga.

Parth is a Professional Research Assistant in the Wortham Lab. Originally from Bangladesh, he earned his M.S. in Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). There, he conducted his graduate research in Dr. Liou Sun's lab, focusing on metabolic regulation, tissue damage, and inflammatory signaling pathways in rodent models. In the Wortham Lab, Parth is interested in understanding the mechanisms that regulate pancreatic beta-cell growth and function in diabetes. Outside the lab, he enjoys traveling, listening to music, watching thriller movies, and following Formula 1.

Aaron is an undergraduate student researcher in the lab. He is currently a senior on the pre-med track working toward his B.S in Biochemistry at the University of Colorado Denver. He previously worked as a research assistant under Dr. Honey Hendesi at the University of Colorado, studying bone fracture healing. In his free time, he enjoys playing pickleball and listening to electronic music.

This could be you! Reach out to Matt at matthew.wortham@cuanschutz.edu to enquire about openings.

A gentleman and a scholar.