Robert Owen, MD

SENATE EMERITUS

Career Narrative
My clinical work includes gastroenterology, general internal medicine, intestinal infectious diseases, HIV infection and AIDS, travel medicine and medical effects of military occupational environmental exposures, especially in Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Vietnam (Agent Orange) and Ionizing Radiation exposed veterans. I am also a Compensation & Pension examiner for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Research Interests:
My work has involved delineation of the structure and function of Peyer's patches and other mucosal
lymphoid organs, using ultrastructure, immunohistology, morphometric analysis, and FACS analysis in
immunocompetent and immunodeficient animal models. Clinical research interests include diarrhea and
intestinal infections, identifying the role of opportunistic pathogens including Giardia, Cryptosporidia,
Microsporidia and Mycobacterium avium.

Education
2018 - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training, University of California
Residency, - Gastroenterology, University of California, San Francisco
Publications

  1. Rusheen AE, Goyal A, Owen RL, Berning EM, Bothun DT, Giblon RE, Blaha CD, Welker KM, Huston J, Bennet KE, Oh Y, Fagan AJ, Lee KH. The development of ultra-high field MRI guidance technology for neuronavigation. Journal of neurosurgery 2022. PMID: 35334465


  2. Owen RL, Grewal SS, Thompson JM, Hassan A, Lee KH, Klassen BT. Effectiveness of Thalamic Ventralis Oralis Anterior and Posterior Nuclei Deep Brain Stimulation for Posttraumatic Dystonia. Mayo Clinic proceedings. Innovations, quality & outcomes 2022. PMID: 35243206


  3. Jundt MC, Owen RL, Thompson SM, Fleming CJ, Stockland AH, Andrews JC. MELD-Na?>?16 is associated with high peri-procedural and short-term mortality in patients with ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma treated with emergent transarterial embolization. Abdominal radiology (New York) 2021. PMID: 34633495


  4. Barath AS, Rusheen AE, Rojas Cabrera JM, Price JB, Owen RL, Shin H, Jang DP, Blaha CD, Lee KH, Oh Y. Hypoxia-Associated Changes in Striatal Tonic Dopamine Release: Real-Time in vivo Measurements With a Novel Voltammetry Technique. Frontiers in neuroscience 2020. PMID: 32973432


  5. Wang QP, Wu ZD, Wei J, Owen RL, Lun ZR. Human Angiostrongylus cantonensis: an update. Volume 31 of Issue 4. European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology 2011. PMID: 21725905


  6. Fujimura Y, Haruma K, Owen RL. Bombesin prevents the atrophy of Peyer's patches and the dysfunction of M cells in rabbits receiving long-term parenteral nutrition. JPEN. Journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition 2007. PMID: 17308247


  7. Kageyama M, Nakatsuka K, Yamaguchi T, Owen RL, Shimada T. Ocular defense mechanisms with special reference to the demonstration and functional morphology of the conjunctiva-associated lymphoid tissue in Japanese monkeys. Archives of histology and cytology 2006. PMID: 17372387


  8. Schmucker DL, Owen RL, Outenreath R, Thoreux K. Basis for the age-related decline in intestinal mucosal immunity. Volume 10 of Issue 2-4. Clinical & developmental immunology 2003. PMID: 14768948


  9. Fujimura Y, Owen RL. Tacrolimus (FK506) and cyclosporine reduce the uptake and transport of particles into rabbit Peyer's patches. Transplantation 2002. PMID: 11965030


  10. Schmucker DL, Thoreux K, Owen RL. Aging impairs intestinal immunity. Mechanisms of ageing and development 2001. PMID: 11470129


  11. Thoreux K, Owen RL, Schmucker DL. Intestinal lymphocyte number, migration and antibody secretion in young and old rats. Immunology 2000. PMID: 11012768


  12. Owen RL. Uptake and transport of intestinal macromolecules and microorganisms by M cells in Peyer's patches--a personal and historical perspective. Seminars in immunology 1999. PMID: 10381861


  13. Owen RL. New perspectives on the pathogenesis of Cryptosporidium biliary disease. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) 1998. PMID: 9755257


  14. Koch J, Owen RL. Small intestine pathogens in AIDS: conventional and opportunistic. Gastrointestinal endoscopy clinics of North America 1998. PMID: 9730937


  15. Lüthen R, Owen RL, Sarbia M, Grendell JH, Niederau C. Premature trypsinogen activation during cerulein pancreatitis in rats occurs inside pancreatic acinar cells. Pancreas 1998. PMID: 9667518


  16. Owen RL. M cells as portals of entry for HIV. Pathobiology : journal of immunopathology, molecular and cellular biology 1998. PMID: 9693315


  17. Owen RL. Mid-life crisis for M cells. Gut 1998. PMID: 9505877


  18. Schmidt W, Schneider T, Heise W, Schulzke JD, Weinke T, Ignatius R, Owen RL, Zeitz M, Riecken EO, Ullrich R. Mucosal abnormalities in microsporidiosis. AIDS (London, England) 1997. PMID: 9365763


  19. Owen RL. Polymerase chain reaction of stool: a powerful tool for specific diagnosis and epidemiologic investigation of enteric microsporidia infections. AIDS (London, England) 1997. PMID: 9143615


  20. Davis IC, Owen RL. The immunopathology of M cells. Springer seminars in immunopathology 1997. PMID: 9144863


  21. Schmucker DL, Heyworth MF, Owen RL, Daniels CK. Impact of aging on gastrointestinal mucosal immunity. Digestive diseases and sciences 1996. PMID: 8654151


  22. Fujimura Y, Owen RL. M cells as portals of infection: clinical and pathophysiological aspects. Infectious agents and disease 1996. PMID: 8805077


  23. Ichikawa S, Sreedharan SP, Owen RL, Goetzl EJ. Immunochemical localization of type I VIP receptor and NK-1-type substance P receptor in rat lung. The American journal of physiology 1995. PMID: 7537460


  24. Ichikawa S, Sreedharan SP, Goetzl EJ, Owen RL. Immunohistochemical localization of peptidergic nerve fibers and neuropeptide receptors in Peyer's patches of the cat ileum. Regulatory peptides 1994. PMID: 7536334


  25. Weber R, Bryan RT, Schwartz DA, Owen RL. Human microsporidial infections. Clinical microbiology reviews 1994. PMID: 7834600


  26. Sandfort J, Hannemann A, Gelderblom H, Stark K, Owen RL, Ruf B. Enterocytozoon bieneusi infection in an immunocompetent patient who had acute diarrhea and who was not infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 1994. PMID: 7811871


  27. Owen RL. Microsporidia cause human disease: evidence by subtraction. AIDS (London, England) 1994. PMID: 7986419


  28. Owen RL. M cells--entryways of opportunity for enteropathogens. The Journal of experimental medicine 1994. PMID: 8006602


  29. Chui DW, Owen RL. AIDS and the gut. Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology 1994. PMID: 8054532


  30. Kato T, Owen RL. Absence of EGF receptors and of EGF uptake in Peyer's patch dome epithelium. Advances in experimental medicine and biology 1994. PMID: 7709839


  31. Ohtsuka A, Piazza AJ, Ermak TH, Owen RL. Correlation of extracellular matrix components with the cytoarchitecture of mouse Peyer's patches. Cell and tissue research 1992. PMID: 1423508


  32. Weber R, Bryan RT, Owen RL, Wilcox CM, Gorelkin L, Visvesvara GS. Improved light-microscopical detection of microsporidia spores in stool and duodenal aspirates. The Enteric Opportunistic Infections Working Group. The New England journal of medicine 1992. PMID: 1370122


  33. Bryan RT, Cali A, Owen RL, Spencer HC. Microsporidia: opportunistic pathogens in patients with AIDS. Progress in clinical parasitology 1991. PMID: 1893116


  34. Owen RL, Piazza AJ, Ermak TH. Ultrastructural and cytoarchitectural features of lymphoreticular organs in the colon and rectum of adult BALB/c mice. The American journal of anatomy 1991. PMID: 1984672


  35. Cali A, Owen RL. Intracellular development of Enterocytozoon, a unique microsporidian found in the intestine of AIDS patients. The Journal of protozoology 1990. PMID: 2319490


  36. Walker RI, Owen RL. Intestinal barriers to bacteria and their toxins. Annual review of medicine 1990. PMID: 2184739


  37. Owen RL, Ermak TH. Structural specializations for antigen uptake and processing in the digestive tract. Springer seminars in immunopathology 1990. PMID: 2205936


  38. Ermak TH, Steger HJ, Strober S, Owen RL. M cells and granular mononuclear cells in Peyer's patch domes of mice depleted of their lymphocytes by total lymphoid irradiation. The American journal of pathology 1989. PMID: 2923183


  39. Pappo J, Owen RL. Absence of secretory component expression by epithelial cells overlying rabbit gut-associated lymphoid tissue. Gastroenterology 1988. PMID: 2458985


  40. Ermak TH, Steger HJ, Owen RL, Strober S. Depletion and repopulation of lymphocytes in Peyer's patches of mice after total lymphoid irradiation. Laboratory investigation; a journal of technical methods and pathology 1988. PMID: 2903270


  41. Pappo J, Steger HJ, Owen RL. Differential adherence of epithelium overlying gut-associated lymphoid tissue. An ultrastructural study. Laboratory investigation; a journal of technical methods and pathology 1988. PMID: 3379916


  42. Ermak TH, Steger HJ, Owen RL, Heyworth MF. Modulation of lymphocyte subsets in Peyer's patches of mice treated with monoclonal antibody against helper T-cells. The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society 1988. PMID: 2964470


  43. Owen RL, Cray WC, Ermak TH, Pierce NF. Bacterial characteristics and follicle surface structure: their roles in Peyer's patch uptake and transport of Vibrio cholerae. Advances in experimental medicine and biology 1988. PMID: 3254071


  44. Ermak TH, Owen RL. Phenotype and distribution of T lymphocytes in Peyer's patches of athymic mice. Histochemistry 1987. PMID: 3319975


  45. Owen RL, Jones AL. Epithelial cell specialization within human Peyer's patches: an ultrastructural study of intestinal lymphoid follicles. Gastroenterology 1974. PMID: 4810912


  46. Owen RL, Hill JL. Rectal and pharyngeal gonorrhea in homosexual men. JAMA 1972. PMID: 4623385