Leah Hohman

Dr. Leah S. Hohman is a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Lisa Osborne at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Hohman received her BSc from the University of Victoria with a double-major in Biology and Microbiology in 2015 and completed her PhD in Immunology under the supervision of Dr. Nathan Peters at the University of Calgary in 2021. In her PhD work, Dr. Hohman studied the correlates of naturally-acquired protective immunity against Leishmania major with an emphasis on skin immunology, flow cytometry, and intravital imaging. .

Dr. Hohman’s postdoctoral research focuses on the relationship between aging and MS progression through the lens of the gut-brain axis. Aged individuals have an increased risk of progressive multiple sclerosis (pMS), as well as altered microbiomes and elevated levels of circulating gut microbiota-derived metabolites due to altered gut barrier function. Dr. Hohman’s work interrogates how aged-related changes to the microbiome and intestinal barrier function contribute to disease progression using both in vivo and organoid model systems. In addition to her research, Dr. Hohman is passionate about teaching and science communication (SciComm) initiatives.

Recent publications.