Leigh Greathouse, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.S., R.D.

Associate Professor in Nutrition Sciences 

Research Area

• Gut Microbiome and Chronic Inflammation
• Diet and Obesity
• Colon Cancer
• Host-microbiome communication

Website:  Greathouse Lab

Video: Leigh Greathouse Earns $485,000 DoD CAREER Award Grant for Gut Microbiome Research

Dr. Greathouse’s research interests include diet, inflammation, the gut microbiome, and colon cancer. Specifically, she is interested in diet and gut microbiome interactions that impact inflammation, obesity, and colon cancer treatment outcomes. As part of this research, she is focused on understanding the underlying mechanistic principals that govern host-microbiome communication and homeostasis. Dr. Greathouse applies machine learning algorithms, bioinformatic tools, and ecological statistical methodology to cohort studies and large datasets to identify biomarkers. She also uses molecular biology techniques to test these biomarkers for causative relationships. As a cancer biologist and dietitian, she collaborates with internal and external research teams to identify dietary and microbial factors that can be used to prevent disease and improve health outcomes related to chronic inflammation.

Current Courses Taught

• NUTR 2351 Nutrition
• NUTR 5354 Public Health Nutrition
• BIO 5409 Cancer Biology

Select Publications

• Sheikh A, Taube J, Greathouse KL. Contribution of the Microbiota and their Secretory Products to Inflammation and Colorectal Cancer Pathogenesis: The Role of Toll-like Receptors. Carcinogenesis.2021 Jul 4;. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgab060. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 34218275. 
• Ismaeel A, Greathouse KL, Newton N, Miserlis D, Papoutsi E, Smith RS, Eidson JL, Dawson DL, Milner CW, Widmer RJ, Bohannon WT, Koutakis P. Phytochemicals as Therapeutic Interventions in Peripheral Artery Disease. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 22;13(7). doi: 10.3390/nu13072143. Review. PubMed PMID: 34206667; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8308302. 
• Wyatt M, Greathouse KL. Targeting Dietary and Microbial Tryptophan-Indole Metabolism as Therapeutic Approaches to Colon Cancer. Nutrients. 2021 Apr 3;13(4). doi: 10.3390/nu13041189. Review. PubMed PMID: 33916690; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8066279. 
• Faucher MA, Greathouse KL, Hastings-Tolsma M, Padgett RN, Sakovich K, Choudhury A, Sheikh A, Ajami NJ, Petrosino JF. Exploration of the Vaginal and Gut Microbiome in African American Women by Body Mass Index, Class of Obesity, and Gestational Weight Gain: A Pilot Study. Am J Perinatol.2020 Sep;37(11):1160-1172. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1692715. Epub 2019 Jun 26. PubMed PMID: 31242511.
• Greathouse KL, Sinha R, Vogtmann E. DNA extraction for human microbiome studies: the issue of standardization. Genome Biol. 2019;20(1):212. Published 2019 Oct 21. doi:10.1186/s13059-019-1843-8
• Greathouse KL, White JR, Padgett RN, et al. Gut microbiome meta-analysis reveals dysbiosis is independent of body mass index in predicting risk of obesity-associated CRC. BMJ Open Gastroenterol. 2019;6(1):e000247. Published 2019 Feb 28. doi:10.1136/bmjgast-2018-000247
• Faucher MA, Greathouse KL, Hastings-Tolsma M, et al. Exploration of the Vaginal and Gut Microbiome in African American Women by Body Mass Index, Class of Obesity, and Gestational Weight Gain: A Pilot Study [published online ahead of print, 2019 Jun 26]. Am J Perinatol.
• Greathouse KL, White JR, Vargas AJ, et al. Interaction between the microbiome and TP53 in human lung cancer. Genome Biol. 2018;19(1):123. Published 2018 Aug 24. doi:10.1186/s13059-018-1501-6
• Morales E, Chen J, Greathouse KL. Compositional Analysis of the Human Microbiome in Cancer Research. Methods Mol Biol. 2019;1928:299–335. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-9027-6_16

Full publication link

Complete List of Published Works in MyBibliography

Baylor University
Nutrition Sciences Division
Robbins College of Health & Human Sciences
One Bear Place #97343
Waco, TX 76798-7343

Office:  Mary Gibbs Jones
Phone:  254- 710 – 7619
Email:   Leigh_Greathouse@baylor.edu