Jill Shea

Jill Shea, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Surgery

Divisions: General Surgery

Jill Shea, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine and an investigator of the Huntsman Cancer Institute. The central goal of her research is to improve surgical outcomes through translational research.

To accomplish this goal she is currently developing three key areas of research: 1) surgical intervention, 2) imaging, and 3) drug treatment. Specific projects include the development of new nerve guide conduits to improve patient outcomes following traumatic injuries, development of new imaging techniques to treat pancreatic cancer, and development of animal models for pancreas cancer to assist in the development of new therapeutic approaches. Though these projects seem diverse they all share the common theme of advancing current treatments relevant to the Department of Surgery.

Education History

Undergraduate University of Oregon
 BS
Doctoral Training University of Utah
 PhD
Postdoctoral Fellowship University of Utah
 Postdoctoral Fellow
Postdoctoral Fellowship University of Utah
 Postdoctoral Fellow

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Labroo P, Hilgart D, Davis B, Lambert C, Sant H, Gale B, Shea JE, Agarwal (2019). Drug-delivering nerve conduit improves regeneration in a critical-sized gap. Biotechnology and bioengineering, 116(1), 143-154.
  2. Camolotto SA, Belova VK, Torre-Healy L, Vahrenkamp JM, Berrett KC, Conway H, Shea J, Stubben C, Moffitt R, Gertz J, Snyder E (2021). Reciprocal regulation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma growth and molecular subtype by HNF4¿ and SIX1/4. Gut, 70(5), 900-914.
  3. Shea J, Terry C, Edwards K, Agarwal (2019). Glitazone loaded fat enhances adiponectin production and inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation. Molecular biology reports, 46(6), 6485-6494.
  4. Davis B, Hilgart D, Erickson S, Labroo P, Burton J, Sant H, Shea J, Gale B, Agarwal (2019). Local FK506 delivery at the direct nerve repair site improves nerve regeneration. Muscle & nerve, 60(5), 613-620.
  5. Kinsey CG, Camolotto SA, Boespflug AM, Guillen KP, Foth M, Truong A, Schuman SS, Shea JE, Seipp MT, Yap JT, Burrell LD, Lum DH, Whisenant JR, Gilcrease GW 3rd, Cavalieri CC, Rehbein KM, Cutler SL, Affolter KE, Welm AL, Welm BE, Scaife CL, Snyder EL, McMahon (2019). Publisher Correction: Protective autophagy elicited by RAF→MEK→ERK inhibition suggests a treatment strategy for RAS-driven cancers. Nature medicine, 25(5), 861.
  6. Kinsey CG, Camolotto SA, Boespflug AM, Guillen KP, Foth M, Truong A, Schuman SS, Shea JE, Seipp MT, Yap JT, Burrell LD, Lum DH, Whisenant JR, Gilcrease GW 3rd, Cavalieri CC, Rehbein KM, Cutler SL, Affolter KE, Welm AL, Welm BE, Scaife CL, Snyder EL, McMahon (2019). Protective autophagy elicited by RAF'MEK'ERK inhibition suggests a treatment strategy for RAS-driven cancers. Nature medicine, 25(4), 620-627.
  7. Davis B, Erickson S, Wojtalewicz S, Simpson A, Metcalf C, Sant H, Shea J, Gale B, Agarwal (2020). Entrapping bupivacaine-loaded emulsions in a crosslinked-hydrogel increases anesthetic effect and duration in a rat sciatic nerve block model. International journal of pharmaceutics, 588, 119703.
  8. Nelson J, Patel D, Sant HJ, Shea J, Gale BK, Agarwal (2021). Compression of the vascular wall to create a friction fit in a vascular anastomotic coupler. Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials, 123, 104681.
  9. Labroo P, Ho S, Sant H, Shea JE, Agarwal J, Gale (2021). Modeling diffusion-based drug release inside a nerve conduit in vitro and in vivo validation study. Drug delivery and translational research, 11(1), 154-168.
  10. Davis B, Wojtalewicz S, Labroo P, Shea J, Sant H, Gale B, Agarwal (2018). Controlled release of FK506 from micropatterned PLGA films: potential for application in peripheral nerve repair. Neural regeneration research, 13(7), 1247-1252.
  11. Li CW, Davis B, Shea J, Sant H, Gale BK, Agarwal (2018). Optimization of micropatterned poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) films for enhancing dorsal root ganglion cell orientation and extension. Neural regeneration research, 13(1), 105-111.
  12. Jeyapalina S, Hillas E, Beck JP, Agarwal J, Shea (2022). Fluorapatite and fluorohydroxyapatite apatite surfaces drive adipose-derived stem cells to an osteogenic lineage. Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials, 125, 104950.
  13. Tasnim T, Adkins MD, Lim T, Feng H, Magda JJ, Shea JE, Agarwal J, Furse CM, Zhang (2021). Thermally tunable hydrogel crosslinking mediated by temperature sensitive liposome. Biomedical materials (Bristol, England), 16(6),
  14. Zimmerman BE, Johnson SL, Odéen HA, Shea JE, Factor RE, Joshi SC, Payne A (2021). Histology to 3D in vivo MR registration for volumetric evaluation of MRgFUS treatment assessment biomarkers. Scientific reports, 11(1), 18923.
  15. Wojtalewicz S, Vizmeg J, Erickson S, Lade C, Shea J, Sant H, Magda J, Gale B, Agarwal J, Davis (2022). Evaluating the influence of particle morphology and density on the viscosity and injectability of a novel long-acting local anesthetic suspension. Journal of biomaterials applications, 37, 8853282221106486.
  16. Davis B, Wojtalewicz S, Erickson S, Veith J, Simpson A, Sant H, Shea J, Gale B, Agarwal (2023). Local delivery of FK506 to a nerve allograft is comparable to systemic delivery at suppressing allogeneic graft rejection. PloS one, 18(3), e0281911.
  17. Johnson S, Zimmerman B, Odeen H, Shea J, Winkler N, Factor R, Joshi S, Payne (2023). A Non-Contrast Multi-Parametric MRI Biomarker for Assessment of MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thermal Therapies. IEEE transactions on bio-medical engineering, 71(1), 355-366.
  18. Azapagic A, Agarwal J, Gale B, Li H, Nelson S, Shea J, Sant (2023). A Novel Vascular Anastomotic Coupling Device for End-to-End Anastomosis of Arteries and Veins. IEEE transactions on bio-medical engineering, PP(2), 542-552.
  19. Zimmerman BE,Johnson S,Odeen H,Shea J,Foote MD,Winkler N,Joshi SC,Payne (2021). Learning Multiparametric Biomarkers for Assessing MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Treatment of Malignant Tumors. IEEE transactions on bio-medical engineering, 68(5), 1737-1747.
  20. Curry F,Chrysler AM,Tasnim T,Shea JE,Agarwal J,Furse CM,Zhang (2020). Biostable conductive nanocomposite for implantable subdermal antenna. APL materials, 8(10),
  21. Zhang X,Muddana S,Kumar SR,Burton JN,Labroo P,Shea J,Stocking P,Siegl C,Archer B,Agarwal J,Ambati B (2020). Topical pergolide enhance corneal nerve regrowth following induced corneal abrasion. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 61(1),
  22. Ho S,Labroo P,Lin KM,Sant H,Shea J,Gale B,Agarwal (2019). Designing a Novel Drug Delivering Nerve Guide: A Preliminary Study. Journal of medical and biological engineering, 39(3), 294-304.
  23. Brewster R,Gale BK,Sant HJ,Monson K,Shea J,Agarwal (2018). A Biodegradable Vascular Coupling Device for End-to-End Anastomosis. Journal of medical and biological engineering, 38(5), 715-723.
  24. Niederauer S, Beeman M, Cleveland A, Wojtalewicz S, Erickson S, Reilly CA, Rower JE, Garrett C, Floyd C, Shea J, Agarwal J, Lade C, Davis (2024). A ropivacaine-eluting poly(lactide-co-caprolactone) wound dressing provided enhanced analgesia in partial-thickness porcine injuries. Plastic and reconstructive surgery,
  25. Nielson C, Agarwal J, Beck JP, Shea J, Jeyapalina (2024). Sintered fluorapatite scaffolds as an autograft-like engineered bone graft. Journal of biomedical materials research. Part B, Applied biomaterials, 112(2), e35374.
  26. Ullah A, Bookwalter J, Sant H, Azapagic A, Shea J, Berlet R, Jha N, Bailes J, Gale B (2025). An Osmosis-driven 3D-printed brain implant for drug delivery. Biomedical microdevices, 27(3), 29.
  27. Azapagic A, Agarwal J, Gale B, Shea J, Wojtalewicz S, Sant (2024). A tacrolimus-eluting nerve guidance conduit enhances regeneration in a critical-sized peripheral nerve injury rat model. Biomedical microdevices, 26(3), 34.
  28. Steyl SK, Jeyapalina S, Griffin A, Krishnamoorthi V, Beck JP, Agarwal J, Shea (2024). Efficacy of sintered Zinc-doped fluorapatite scaffold as an antimicrobial regenerative bone filler for dental applications. Journal of dentistry, 146, 105070.
  29. Singh A, Adams-Tew S, Johnson S, Odeen H, Shea J, Johnson A, Day L, Pessin A, Payne A, Joshi (2025). Treatment efficacy prediction of focused ultrasound therapies using multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging. Cancer prevention, detection, and intervention, 15199, 190-199.
  30. Berlet R, Azapagic A, Jha NK, Aksenov D, Bookwalter J, Ullah A, Bobustuc G, Lee J, Sant H, McDaid J, Walker M, Shea J, Graff D, Barlow AK, Frigerio R, Aliee D, Bailes C, Gale BK, Bailes J (2025). An implantable, intracerebral osmotic pump for convection-enhanced drug delivery in glioblastoma multiforme. Frontiers in oncology, 15, 1676691.
  31. Griffin AS, Brown LC, Stat GWM, Miller AJ, Shea J, Durham MR, Jeyapalina (2024). Characteristics of Early and Late Dental Implant Failures Among Patients in the Salt Lake City Veterans Hospital. Journal of dental and maxillofacial research, 7(1), 1-10.

Other

  1. Kinsey CG, Camolotto SA, Boespflug AM, Guillen KP, Foth M, Truong A, Schuman SS, Shea JE, Seipp MT, Yap JT, Burrell LD, Lum DH, Whisenant JR, Gilcrease GW 3rd, Cavalieri CC, Rehbein KM, Cutler SL, Affolter KE, Welm AL, Welm BE, Scaife CL, Snyder EL, McMahon (2025). Author Correction: Protective autophagy elicited by RAF'MEK'ERK inhibition suggests a treatment strategy for RAS-driven cancers. Nature medicine, 31(6), 2069.