Lisa A. Karstens

Dr. Lisa A. Karstens is an Associate Professor at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), holding joint appointments in the Departments of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology. She also serves as Co-Division Head of the Division of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at OHSU. Her research focuses on leveraging bioinformatics to understand complex human diseases, particularly bladder disorders and their relationship to the microbiome, metabolomics, and neuroimaging. She collaborates extensively with clinicians and molecular biologists on interdisciplinary projects.

Dr. Karstens earned her Ph.D. in 2010 from Princeton University and an M.B.I. in 2013 from OHSU. Her teaching includes an introductory programming course for medical informatics students, emphasizing Python and programming logic.

Her research interests span microbiome analysis, women's health, and translational applications of bioinformatics. Notable projects include studying the urinary microbiome in urinary incontinence, the role of gut microbiota in autoimmune conditions, and the impact of dietary interventions on microbial communities. Dr. Karstens has contributed to over 30 peer-reviewed publications since 2011, with recent work focusing on microbiome data reuse challenges, pediatric urologic health, and sex-specific microbiome variations.

Her advisory role includes mentoring diverse students from high school to medical fellowship levels. Collaborative efforts extend to projects on estrogen’s role in autoimmune protection, pharmacological modulation of the microbiome, and urobiome standardization initiatives.