Courtney Kurtz

Courtney Kurtz is a Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, specializing in physiological and immunological research using hibernating mammals as model systems. Her work bridges mucosal immunology and metabolic disease mechanisms, with significant contributions to understanding obesity-related inflammation.

Her educational background includes:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship (2006-2010) at the Digestive Health Center, University of Virginia
• Ph.D. in Comparative Biomedical Sciences (2006) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
• B.S. in Biology (1998) from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Dr. Kurtz's research program centers on two interconnected domains: mucosal immunology in hibernators (particularly 13-lined ground squirrels) and the immunological basis of metabolic diseases. She investigates how immune tolerance at mucosal barriers functions during hibernation and how similar mechanisms relate to obesity-induced inflammation in humans. Her laboratory examines adipose tissue immunology during pre-hibernation fattening seasons, demonstrating parallels between squirrel fat accumulation and human obesity pathology. Current projects explore gut microbiota manipulations to modulate fat storage, conducted in collaboration with Dr. Khrystyne Duddleston's team in Alaska.

Analysis of her publication record reveals consistent focus on gastrointestinal immunology, hibernation physiology, and metabolic inflammation across species. Her work increasingly integrates microbiome analysis with tissue-specific immune profiling, establishing ground squirrels as valuable models for translational metabolic research.

Scientific recognition:

• No specific awards documented in source materials

Dr. Kurtz actively mentors undergraduate researchers, as evidenced by numerous student co-authors on her publications. Her research program operates through university-supported infrastructure including animal facilities and molecular biology laboratories, with collaborative funding mechanisms supporting her Alaska-based microbiome work. Teaching responsibilities span human physiology, immunology, and cell biology courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Her laboratory maintains specialized capabilities for studying metabolic physiology in hibernation models, with ongoing projects examining seasonal immune adaptations across multiple tissue systems including gastrointestinal tract, adipose depots, liver, and skeletal muscle.