Katherine Maki, PhD, APRN, NP-BC

BS, Marquette University
MS, University of Illinois at Chicago
PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago

The BIOM Unit designs, plans, and conducts research integrating biological, physiological, behavioral, psychological, and environmental factors to a) understand and synthesize microbe-brain signaling mechanisms connecting the oral and gut microbiome to health and disease b) combine multi-omic methodologies with in vivo and in vitro tools c) model disease-specific research protocols that identify shared and unique biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets.

Dr. Maki received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Marquette University in May of 2009, and her Master of Science in Nursing in May of 2015 from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a focus as an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Maki was a pre-doctoral research fellow in the Laboratory of Sleep Neurobiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago Nursing Department, and she completed her PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago in December of 2019.

Dr. Maki was an intramural postdoctoral research fellow in the Translational Biobehavioral and Health Disparities Branch from 2020-2022. In 2020 she was the winner of the American Heart Association Martha Hill Early Career Investigator Award, and she received the Outstanding Thesis/Dissertation Award from the University of Illinois at Chicago Graduate College, Life Sciences division.

Current Research Activities

Lead Associate Investigator

000796: Associations between Cytokine and Metabolite-Associated Gut Microbiome Bacteria, Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features and Clinical Phenotype (craving, anxiety, and depression) in patients with Alcohol Use Disorder

Associate Investigator

16-CC-0162 (NCT# 02911077): Longitudinal Changes in the Oral and Gut Microbiome of Individuals with Alcohol Dependence

14-AA-0080 (NCT # 02108080): Characterization Imaging Instruments in Alcoholics and Non-Alcoholics.

17-H-0162: Tailoring Mobile Health Technology to Reduce Obesity and Improve Cardiovascular Health in Resource-Limited Neighborhood Environments: A Multi-Level, Community-Based Physical Activity Intervention

13-H-0183: Cardiovascular Health and Needs Assessment in Washington D.C. - Development of a Community-Based Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention

• New Trends in Sex and Gender Medicine Diversity Conference Scholarship & Flash Talk Award, American Physiological Society, 2021
• Winner of the Outstanding Thesis/Dissertation Award from the University of Illinois at Chicago Graduate College, Life Sciences Division, 2020
• Martha Hill Early Career Investigator Award, American Heart Association, 2020

Maki, K.A., Ganesan, S., Meeks, B., Farmer, N., Kazmi, N., Barb, J. J., Joseph, P. V., & Wallen, G.W (2022). The Role of the Oral Microbiome in Smoking-Related Cardiovascular Risk: A Review of the Literature Exploring Mechanisms and Pathways. Journal of translational medicine, 20(584). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-022-03785-x

Maki, K.A., Fink, A.F., & Weaver, T. E. (2022). Sleep, Time, and Space: Performance Deficits and Fatigue among Airline Pilots, Commercial Truck Drivers, and Astronauts. Sleep advances, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/sleepadvances/zpac033

Maki, K.A., Alkhatib, J., Butera, G., Wallen, G.W. (2022). Examining Relationships between Sleep Physiology and the Gut Microbiome in Pre-Clinical and Translational Research: Protocol for a Scoping Review. JMIR research protocols, 11(6), e38605. https://doi.org/10.2196/38605

*Agarwal, K., *Maki, K.A., Vizioli, C., Carnell, S., Goodman, E., Hurley, M., Harris, C., Colwell, R., Steele, S., Joseph, P.V. (2022). The Neuro-Endo-Microbio-Ome Study: Neurobiological Alterations in Bariatric Surgery. Biological research for nursing, 24(3), 362–378. https://doi.org/10.1177/109980042210859766(4), e0047121. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00471-21.

Maki, K.A., Joseph, Ames, N., Wallen, G.R. (2021). Leveraging microbiome science from the bedside to bench and back: A nursing perspective. Nursing research, 70(1), 3–5. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.0000000000000475

Maki, K.A., Kazmi, N., Barb, J. J., Ames, N. (2021). The oral and gut bacterial microbiomes: Similarities, differences, and connections. Biological research for nursing, 23(1), 7–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/1099800420941606

Maki, K.A., Burke, L.A., Calik, M.W., Wantanabe-Chilland, M., Sweeney, D, Romick-Rosendale, L. E., Green, S. J., Fink, A.M. (2020). Sleep fragmentation increases blood pressure and is associated with alterations in the gut microbiome and fecal metabolome in rats. Physiological genomics, 52(7), 280–292. https://doi.org/10.1152/physiolgenomics.00039.2020

Visit Scopus for a full list of Dr. Maki's publications.