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Ezra Burstein, M.D.,  Ph.D.

Ezra Burstein, M.D., Ph.D.

Titles and Appointments

Professor & Division Chief

Endowed Title
Berta M. and Dr. Cecil O. Patterson Chair in Gastroenterology
School
Medical School
Department
Internal Medicine | Molecular Biology
Graduate Programs
Genetics, Development and Disease, Immunology

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For more information on the doctor and patient care, please visit the clinical profile.

  • Biography

    Download Curriculum Vitae

    Ezra Burstein, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Chief of its Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases.

    Originally from Lima, Peru, Dr. Burstein received his medical degree from Cayetano Heredia University in Lima. He completed internal medicine residency training at UT Southwestern and advanced training in gastroenterology through a fellowship program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He then completed a research fellowship in immunology at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institutes of Health.

    Board certified in internal medicine and in gastroenterology, he joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2008.

    Dr. Burstein′s research training and expertise is in the area of molecular immunology. Broadly, the work in his laboratory is focused on basic mechanisms that control inflammatory responses in human disease, particularly inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Work from the laboratory has investigated the regulation of the NF-kB transcription factor, which led to the discovery of the COMMD protein family. His group also investigated the basic functions of these factors in immune regulation, including the discovery of their role in endosomal protein sorting. More recently, the lab investigated the genetic and molecular basis of altered immunity in patients with defined Mendelian disorders. These studies led to important discoveries, including the identification of cytosolic RNA:DNA hybrids as regulators of the interferon pathway.

    Dr. Burstein is active in several professional organizations, including the American Gastroenterological Association, American Society for Clinical Investigation, American Society for Cell Biology, and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

  • Education
    Medical School
    Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University (1994)
    Residency
    UT Southwestern Medical Center (1998), Internal Medicine
    Fellowship
    University of Michigan Hospitals & Health Centers (2001), Gastroenterology
    Graduate School
    University of Groningen (2013), Molecular Genetics
  • Research Interest
    • COMMD proteins: We study the regulation of endosomal protein sorting and immune function by members of this protein family
    • Genetics of inflammatory disorders: Our lab investigates the genetic basis of disorders of immune function, particularly affecting the GI tract
    • Mucosal immunity and immune-tumor interactions in the GI tract
  • Publications
    PGLYRP1-mediated intracellular peptidoglycan detection promotes intestinal mucosal protection
    Chen S, Putnik R, Li X, Diwaker A, Vasconcelos M, Liu S, Gondi S, Zhou J, Guo L, Xu L, Temme S, Bersch K, Hyland S, Yin J, Burstein E, Bahnson BJ, Gildersleeve JC, Grimes CL, Reinecker HC Nature communications 2025 Dec 16
    Structural basis for Retriever-SNX17 assembly and endosomal sorting
    Singla A, Boesch DJ, Fung HY, Ngoka C, Enriquez AS, Song R, Kramer DA, Han Y, Banarer E, Lemoff A, Juneja P, Billadeau DD, Bai X, Chen Z, Turer EE, Burstein E, Chen B Nature communications 2024 Dec 15
    Short-Term Use of Upadacitinib in Combination With Biologic Therapy for Inducing Clinical Remission in Patients With Active Inflammatory Bowel Disease
    Yin J, El-Najjar Y, Cordova N, Touma MJ, Nguyen N, Boktor M, Burstein E, Fudman DI Inflammatory bowel diseases 2024 Oct 30 1914-1916
    Interaction between the gut microbiota and colonic enteroendocrine cells regulates host metabolism
    Tan S, Santolaya JL, Wright TF, Liu Q, Fujikawa T, Chi S, Bergstrom CP, Lopez A, Chen Q, Vale G, McDonald JG, Schmidt A, Vo N, Kim J, Baniasadi H, Li L, Zhu G, He TC, Zhan X, Obata Y, Jin A, Jia D, Elmquist JK, Sifuentes-Dominguez L, Burstein E Nature Metabolism 2024 Jun 6 1076-1091
    Structural organization of the retriever–CCC endosomal recycling complex
    Boesch DJ, Singla A, Han Y, Kramer DA, Liu Q, Suzuki K, Juneja P, Zhao X, Long X, Medlyn MJ, Billadeau DD, Chen Z, Chen B, Burstein E Nature Structural and Molecular Biology 2024 Jun 31 910-924
    Human peri-gastruloids: a significant advancement in embryology research
    Yang Q, Burstein E, Jia D MedComm 2024 Jan 5
    SCGN deficiency is a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder
    Liu Z, Tan S, Zhou L, Chen L, Liu M, Wang W, Tang Y, Yang Q, Chi S, Jiang P, Zhang Y, Cui Y, Qin J, Hu X, Li S, Liu Q, Chen L, Li S, Burstein E, Li W, Zhang X, Mo X, Jia D Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy 2023 Dec 8
    RORγt-Raftlin1 complex regulates the pathogenicity of Th17 cells and colonic inflammation
    Singh AK, Kumar R, Yin J, Brooks JF, Kathania M, Mukherjee S, Kumar J, Conlon KP, Basrur V, Chen Z, Han X, Hooper LV, Burstein E, Venuprasad K Nature communications 2023 Dec 14
    Improved Healthcare Access Reduces Requirements for Surgery in Indigent IBD Patients Using Biologic Therapy: A ‘Safety-Net’ Hospital Experience
    Gu P, Clifford E, Gilman A, Chang C, Moss E, Fudman DI, Kilgore P, Cvek U, Trutschl M, Alexander JS, Burstein E, Boktor M Pathophysiology 2022 Sep 29 383-393
    Maternal obesity, pregnancy weight gain, and birth weight and risk of colorectal cancer
    Murphy CC, Cirillo PM, Krigbaum NY, Singal AG, Lee MJ, Zaki T, Burstein E, Cohn BA Gut 2022 Jul 71 1332-1339
  • Honors & Awards
    • Physician Champion of the Year
      Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, North Texas Chapter (2021)
    • Berta M. and Cecil O. Patterson Chair in Gastroenterology
      UT Southwestern (2019)
    • Physician of the Year
      Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, North Texas Chapter (2017)
    • Helmsley Scholar
      Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (2010)
    • AGA Research Scholar Award
      Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition (2003)
    • John S. Miller Award for Outstanding Performance as a House Officer
      UT Southwestern Medical School (1998)
    • Valedictorian
      Medical School of Cayetano Heredia University (1994)
  • Professional Associations/Affiliations
    • American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
    • American Gastroenterological Association
    • American Society for Cell Biology
    • American Society for Clinical Investigation (2012)
    • Association of American Physicians (AAP) (2024)