Postdoctoral Fellow, 1989
Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.

Doctor of Philosophy, 1987
Nutrition and Physiology, Research Assistant, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.

Master of Science, 1983
Animal Science, Research Assistant, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.

Bachelor of Science, 1981
Animal Science, Purdue University, Lafayette, IN.

Dr. Burrin's research focuses on the nutritional and hormonal regulation of neonatal intestinal growth and function.

The major goals of Dr. Burrin's lab are to establish the macronutrient needs of the neonatal gut and how enteral nutrients and gut hormones function as signals to stimulate intestinal growth and development. One of the two major projects in Dr. Burrin’s lab is aimed at quantifying the intestinal metabolic fate of dietary sulfur amino acids and whether methionine transsulfuration is critical for maintenance of intestinal epithelial redox function and proliferation. Studies show that the transmethylation product of methionine, homocysteine, plays a key role in cardiovascular disease and we seek to establish the role of the gut in body homocysteine production. Methionine transsulfuration to cysteine also may be an important precursor for glutathione and maintenance of epithelial cell function. We are using isotopic tracers coupled with arteriovenous organ balance and blood flow measurements in neonatal pigs to quantify the intestinal metabolism of sulfur amino acids provided enterally or parenterally. The other major project in Dr. Burrin’s lab is aimed at establishing the biological and clinical significance of glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) in the neonatal gut. GLP-2 is a gut hormone that has been FDA approved for treatment of adult short-bowel syndrome. We are using the neonatal pig model to establish the neuroendocrine signals involved in GLP-2 receptor signaling and function. We are using in vivo approaches to quantify neurotransmitter production and the consequences of neurotransmitter blockade on intestinal blood flow and epithelial cell survival and proliferation. We are using sophisticated cell biological and molecular approaches, such as laser-capture microdissection, in situ hybridization, and confocal microscopy to identify the cellular localization of specific signals involved in the metabolism, proliferation and survival of mucosal epithelial cells.

Research Physiologist, 1989
Children's Nutrition Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. (GS-15)

Associate Professor, 2001
Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.

Adjunct Assistant Professor, 1989-2001
Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.