Nora Barrett

Dr. Barrett is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, a member of the Harvard Program in Immunology and Brigham and Women’s Hospital Severe Asthma Program, and a physician-scientist devoted to identifying innate immune pathways that promote chronic airway diseases such as asthma.

Dr. Barrett completed her medical degree at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and then did her residency in Internal Medicine, and fellowships in Pulmonary Medicine and Allergy and Immunology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship with K. Frank Austen, she joined the faculty in what is now the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital led by Dr. Joshua Boyce.

Dr. Barrett has a long-standing interest in asthma pathobiology and the innate immune pathways that initiate and reinforce type 2 immunity in the respiratory tract. This includes the study of cysteinyl leukotrienes, the IgE-independent pathways through which these proinflammatory molecules are generated in the respiratory mucosa, and their influence on the development of type 2 inflammation. Through preclinical and translational research efforts, she and her team have discovered a remarkable degree of airway epithelial remodeling that occurs in type 2 inflammation, endowing the respiratory mucosa with enhanced proinflammatory function. She has been the recipient of numerous grant awards from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, the American Lung Association, the Department of Defense, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, and the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease for this research.

Dr. Barrett is an active physician, dedicated to the management of patients with Severe Asthma and coordinates educational programs and patient care initiatives at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Severe Asthma Program. She also leads efforts to promote the training and education of clinical fellows interested in pursuing a physician-scientist track. She lectures on the path of a physician-scientist to residents and fellows, organizes workshops on research techniques and professional skills, and participates in scholarly oversight committees and grant review committees both locally and nationally.

Clinical Interests

• Asthma
• Eosinophilic Disorders
• Immunodeficiency

Education

Medical School

• University of Virginia School of Medicine, 2000

Residency

• Brigham and Women's Hospital, 2000 - 2003

Board Certifications

• Allergy & Immunology, 2006

Fellowship

• Brigham and Women's Hospital, 2003 - 2007