Wendy A. Goodman

Wendy A. Goodman, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She is also a Member of the Immune Oncology Program at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research focuses on the role of steroid hormones (e.g., estrogens, androgens, progesterone) in immune regulation, particularly in mucosal tissues (e.g., intestinal mucosa) and maternal-fetal interface tissues (e.g., decidua). She employs preclinical mouse models and primary human cells/tissues to study mechanisms underlying immune homeostasis, chronic inflammation, and autoimmunity.

Dr. Goodman’s education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Biology (2001) and a PhD in Pathology/Immunology (2010), both from Case Western Reserve University. Her research interests emphasize non-classical roles of sex hormones in adaptive and innate immune responses, including T-cell differentiation, regulatory T cell function, and immune cell/epithelial crosstalk. She investigates how local environmental cues in the gut and pregnancy tissues shape protective vs. pathogenic immune responses.

Her work is supported by significant grants including an NIH/NIDDK R01 (2021-2026) and the March of Dimes Ohio Collaborative (2020-current). Notable awards include the Michael E. Lamm Teaching Award (2018) and multiple Best Abstract Awards at conferences like FASEB GI Summer Conference (2017) and Advances in IBD (2015). She collaborates with institutions like Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center on pregnancy-related immune studies.

Dr. Goodman has advised numerous research projects but no formal students are listed. Her lab actively explores estrogen/progesterone crosstalk during pregnancy, hormonal control of myeloid cells, and mechanisms driving IBD sexual dimorphism. Professional memberships include the American Association of Immunologists, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, and American Gastroenterological Association.