Research Biography

Dr. Turner is an immunologist whose major research interest is in signal transduction via cation channels in mast cells. My work is relevant to inflammation, pain and the identification of new therapies. She has published >50 papers in this area and she is the inventor on several filed and issued U.S. patents.. Her independent research laboratory has been in existence since 2000 and has been continuously funded by NIH, NSF, DoD and private foundation grants including investigator initiated RO1 and R15 awards. She is also the PI or co-PI on number of NSF program grants and the PI on a current Howard Hughes Medical Institute ‘Inclusive Excellence’ program. Her H-index is 24 with ~3680 citations.

Dr. Turner’s graduate work examined signal transduction by the FcepsiolonRI receptor in mast cells, and post-doctoral work at Harvard focused on cloning the (then elusive) calcium-selective cation channels that are gatekeepers for so many aspects of mast cell and basophil activation. This continuing work focuses us on TRPV1 and TRPV2, TRPA1 and TRPM8 as well as CRAC and KIR channels. Our current work has four major thrusts:

First, continuing to investigate the calcium channels and their associated signaling pathways that control pain and inflammation (including mast cell activation) via our current NIH R15 project.

Second, investigating environmentally-derived molecules (plant secondary metabolites including cannabinoids and terpenes, insect venoms, nanomaterials) for their regulation of TRP channels and impact on pain pathways and mast cell pro-inflammatory responses.

Third, we have focused on how mast cell biology changes under conditions of chronic disease, most recently in our NIH R15 funded study on hyperinsulinemia in diabetes and its effect on mast cell responses.

Finally, our data analytics efforts are focused on identifying therapeutic approaches for pain and inflammation derived from meta-analysis of non-western pharmacopeias.

Diversity and Inclusion

Our research at Chaminade is in the context of a university serving disenfranchised and disadvantaged students from low income, indigenous Hawaiian and Pacific Island backgrounds. Dr. Turner’s laboratory successfully integrates meaningful research, performed to a high standard of peer review, with the training and education missions of a small minority-serving and Hawaiian-serving institution. The lab’s work has impact on the career paths and training of our (predominantly minority and low income) students who have a graduate school entry rate of over 52%. Dr. Turner is committed to sophisticated undergraduate research experiences and her student mentees have secured 19 authorships across 21 of her recent papers. Dr. Turner and Dr. Stokes are PI and/or Co-PI on a number of STEM diversity and inclusion programs that fund scholarships, research experiences and enrichment activities for undergraduates. These include:

NSF INCLUDES ALL-SPICE ALLIANCE (Turner, PI)

Kamehameha Schools Ho`oulu Native Hawaiian STEM Scholars program (Turner, PI)

Howard Hughes Medical Institute ‘Inclusive Excellence’ program (Turner ,PI)

NSF EPSCoR and LSAMP programs (Turner, co-PI)

NIH INBRE program (Turner, Core Leader)

NSF INCLUDES, AISL, I-USE awards (Turner, PI and co-PI)

NSF S-STEM Scholarship program for Biology and Environmental Science (Turner, PI)

NSF S-STEM Scholarship program for Data Science (Turner, PI; Stokes, co-PI)

NIH BRIC award (Turner, PI)