Erika Wheeler
Investigation and Characterization of Sex-Based differences in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Irritable Bowel Disease are both medical conditions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. IBS alone affects 60 to 70 million people in the United States and women are twice as likely to be diagnosed than men. Erika’s work focuses on investigating and characterizing sex-based differences in IBS and IBD patients.
Erika joined ABNEL as a bioengineering BS/MS student in January 2021. She began her master thesis in ABNEL in Fall 2021. Prior to this, she co-oped at Sanofi and Cygnal Therapeutics in their oncology department investigating and validating novel oncology targets.

Dr. Abigail Koppes Selected by AIMBE as 2026 Emerging Leader
The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) announced 9 emerging leaders in recognition of their recent achievements in the field of medical and biological engineering. Among these leaders was Dr. Abigail Nelson Koppes. Dr. Koppes - along...
Dr. Abigail Koppes to Present in Researcher Spotlight Series
I’m excited to present in the Researcher Spotlight Webinar Series, hosted by the Arthritis National Research Foundation, on October 8.I’ll share my patient story and discuss my work on Sjögren’s disease, as well as an overview of how our research is advancing the...
