We are dedicated to understanding microbial communities within the urogenital system to improve human health. 

Our Duke Urogenital Microbiome (Ur-BIOME) Research Program includes physicians, scientists, patient advocates and trainees who are committed to driving groundbreaking research on how the urogenital microbiome shapes human health. A key focus of our work is exploring sex-specific differences in the urogenital microbiome across various life stages and understanding how these differences influence a woman’s overall well-being. Our interdisciplinary team is passionate about translating our findings into tangible benefits for others. We do this by pushing the boundaries of knowledge, training future researchers, and educating the public. Together, we embark upon a journey of discovery, innovation, and impact.  

Silvia Grant

Research Program Leader 

Originally from Switzerland, Silvia has earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and biochemistry from the University in Zurich (Switzerland) and a Ph.D. from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. As a laboratory research manager and senior scientist at the Institute for Genome Sciences (University of Maryland, School of Medicine), Silvia led projects focused on the gut microbiome and its clinical implications, particularly regarding the gut-brain axis. She then transitioned to a role with Metabolon, Inc., where she helped elucidate the impacts of small molecules produced by bacteria in our bodies. At Duke University, she is leading the efforts of Dr. Siddiqui and her team in understanding the effects of the urogenital microbiome on health and disease. With extensive experience in research and project management, bioinformatics, and collaborative studies, Silvia is passionate about advancing microbiome research and its impact on health. Outside of her academic interests, she loves being in nature and enjoys sharing its beauty with her husband and two daughters. 

Contact information: 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/silvia-grant-phd-0977177a 

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=gVi-GtEAAAAJ 

Stephanie Li  

Research Technician II 

Stephanie is originally from San Francisco, and she earned her bachelor’s degree in Neurobiology and Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been involved in the Urogenital field since college when she participated in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia research in the Wisconsin Institute of Medical Research. At Duke University, she works as a research technician at Dr. Siddiqui’s lab to further discover the role of urogenital microbiome on health. She is passionate about improving community health through innovative research. Outside of the lab, Stephanie likes to run, go to the gym, and enjoy a good coffee.  

Advani, S. D., Claeys, K. C., & Siddiqui, N. Y. (2024). What Should I Know About Recurrent UTIs in Older Women? JAMA Intern Med, 184(8), 994. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.1854

Advani, S. D., Turner, N. A., North, R., Moehring, R. W., Vaughn, V. M., Scales, C. D., … Anderson, D. J. (2024). Proposing the "Continuum of UTI" for a Nuanced Approach to Diagnosis and Management of Urinary Tract Infections. J Urol, 211(5), 690–698. https://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003874

Jiang, D., Soo, N., Tan, C. Y., Dankwa, S., Wang, H.-Y., Theriot, B. S., … Surana, N. K. (2024). Commensal bacteria inhibit viral infections via a tryptophan metabolite. BioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.21.589969

London, L. Y., Lim, C. H., Modliszewski, J. L., Siddiqui, N. Y., & Sysoeva, T. A. (2023). Draft genomes of Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Klebsiella pneumoniae coexisting within a female urinary bladder. Microbiol Resour Announc, 12(10), e0030523. https://doi.org/10.1128/MRA.00305-23

Vaughan, M. H., Zemtsov, G. E., Dahl, E. M., Karstens, L., Ma, L., & Siddiqui, N. Y. (2022). Concordance of urinary microbiota detected by 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing vs expanded quantitative urine culture. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 227(5), 773–775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2022.06.031

Johnson, J. A., Modliszewski, J. L., Siddiqui, N. Y., & Sysoeva, T. A. (2022). Draft Genome Sequence of a Lactobacillus gasseri Strain Isolated from the Catheterized Urine of a Healthy Postmenopausal Woman. Microbiol Resour Announc, 11(6), e0002122. https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00021-22

Hendrickson, W. K., Havrilesky, L., & Siddiqui, N. Y. (2022). Cost-effectiveness of bacteriuria screening before urogynecologic surgery. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 226(6), 831.e1-831.e12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2021.11.1375

Richter, H. E., Carnes, M. U., Komesu, Y. M., Lukacz, E. S., Arya, L., Bradley, M., … Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Pelvic Floor Disorders Network. (2022). Association between the urogenital microbiome and surgical treatment response in women undergoing midurethral sling operation for mixed urinary incontinence. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 226(1), 93.e1-93.e15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2021.07.008

Johnson, J. A., Delaney, L. F., Ojha, V., Rudraraju, M., Hintze, K. R., Siddiqui, N. Y., & Sysoeva, T. A. (2022). Commensal Urinary Lactobacilli Inhibit Major Uropathogens In Vitro With Heterogeneity at Species and Strain Level. Front Cell Infect Microbiol, 12, 870603. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2022.870603

Siddiqui, N. Y., Ma, L., Brubaker, L., Mao, J., Hoffman, C., Dahl, E. M., … Karstens, L. (2022). Updating Urinary Microbiome Analyses to Enhance Biologic Interpretation. Front Cell Infect Microbiol, 12, 789439. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2022.789439

Zemtsov, G. E., Vaughan, M. H., Dahl, E. M., Karstens, L., Ma, L., & Siddiqui, N. Y. (2022). Concordance of Urinary Microbiota Detected by 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing Versus Expanded Quantitative Urine Culture. In INTERNATIONAL UROGYNECOLOGY JOURNAL (Vol. 33, pp. S219–S220).

Vaughan, M. H., Mao, J., Karstens, L. A., Ma, L., Amundsen, C. L., Schmader, K. E., & Siddiqui, N. Y. (2021). The Urinary Microbiome in Postmenopausal Women with Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections. The Journal of Urology, 206(5), 1222–1231. https://doi.org/10.1097/ju.0000000000001940

Siddiqui, N. Y. (2021). Editorial Comment. J Urol, 206(5), 1221. https://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000001949.02

Hoffman, C., Siddiqui, N. Y., Fields, I., Gregory, W. T., Simon, H. M., Mooney, M. A., … Karstens, L. (2021). Species-Level Resolution of Female Bladder Microbiota from 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing. MSystems, 6(5), e0051821. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00518-21

Brubaker, L., Gourdine, J.-P., Siddiqui, N. Y., Holland, A., Halverson, T., Limeria, R., … Wolfe, A. J. (2021). Forming Consensus To Advance Urobiome Research. MSystems, 6(4), e0137120. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.01371-20

Bickhaus, J. A., Bradley, M. S., Amundsen, C. L., Visco, A. G., Truong, T., Li, Y. J., & Siddiqui, N. Y. (2021). Does a recent urinary tract infection increase the risk of postprocedure urinary tract infection after onabotulinum toxin a? Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey, 76(5), 267–268. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ogx.0000751432.28331.65

Karstens, L., Siddiqui, N. Y., Zaza, T., Barstad, A., Amundsen, C. L., & Sysoeva, T. A. (2021). Benchmarking DNA isolation kits used in analyses of the urinary microbiome. Sci Rep, 11(1), 6186. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85482-1

Bickhaus, J. A., Bradley, M. S., Amundsen, C. L., Visco, A. G., Truong, T., Li, Y.-J., & Siddiqui, N. Y. (2021). Does a Recent Urinary Tract Infection Increase the Risk of Postprocedure Urinary Tract Infection After Onabotulinum Toxin A? Female Pelvic Med Reconstr Surg, 27(2), 121–125. https://doi.org/10.1097/SPV.0000000000000753

Vaughan, M. H., Mao, J., Karstens, L. A., Ma, L., Amundsen, C. L., Schmader, K. E., & Siddiqui, N. Y. (2021). The Urinary Microbiome in Postmenopausal Women with Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections. JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, 206(5), 1223–1231.

Bickhaus, J. A., Vaughan, M., Truong, T., Li, Y.-J., & Siddiqui, N. Y. (2020). A comparison of antibiotic prophylaxis regimens to decrease the risk of post-procedure urinary tract infection after onabotulinum toxin A injection. Int Urogynecol J, 31(9), 1907–1912. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-020-04230-7

Siddiqui, N. Y., Vaughan, M. H., Ma, L., Karstens, L., Amundsen, C., & Schmader, K. (2020). Urinary Microbiome in Menopausal Women with Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections. In JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY (Vol. 68, pp. S11–S11). Long Beach, CA: WILEY.

Komesu, Y. M., Dinwiddie, D. L., Richter, H. E., Lukacz, E. S., Sung, V. W., Siddiqui, N. Y., … Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Pelvic Floor Disorders Network. (2020). Defining the relationship between vaginal and urinary microbiomes. Am J Obstet Gynecol, 222(2), 154.e1-154.e10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2019.08.011

Siddiqui, N. Y., Helfand, B. T., Andreev, V. P., Kowalski, J. T., Bradley, M. S., Lai, H. H., … Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN). (2019). Biomarkers Implicated in Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: Systematic Review and Pathway Analyses. J Urol, 202(5), 880–889. https://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000000257

Komesu, Y. M., Richter, H. E., Carper, B., Dinwiddie, D. L., Lukacz, E. S., Siddiqui, N. Y., … Pelvic Floor Disorders Network. (2018). The urinary microbiome in women with mixed urinary incontinence compared to similarly aged controls. Int Urogynecol J, 29(12), 1785–1795. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-018-3683-6

Arya, L. A., Richter, H. E., Jelovsek, E., Gantz, M., Cichowski, S., Zyczynski, H., … Meikle, S. (2018). Metabolites and microbial composition of stool of women with fecal incontinence: Study design and methods. Neurourol Urodyn, 37(2), 634–641. https://doi.org/10.1002/nau.23360

Polin, M. R., Kawasaki, A., Amundsen, C. L., Weidner, A. C., & Siddiqui, N. Y. (2017). Do Mixed-Flora Preoperative Urine Cultures Matter? South Med J, 110(6), 426–429. https://doi.org/10.14423/SMJ.0000000000000659

Komesu, Y. M., Richter, H. E., Dinwiddie, D. L., Siddiqui, N. Y., Sung, V. W., Lukacz, E. S., … Gantz, M. (2017). Methodology for a vaginal and urinary microbiome study in women with mixed urinary incontinence. Int Urogynecol J, 28(5), 711–720. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-016-3165-7

The team members of Ur-BIOME have attended conferences including ASM, PFD Week 2024, and CAIRIBU 2024, and we aim to attend more events in the future. We strive to present more of our research to the urogenital microbiome community and connect with other researchers/collaborators. We always look forward to connecting with fellow researchers and are excited to set up meetings at any of the conferences we will attend, which are listed below with more to come.  

June 19-23, 2025 

ASM Microbe is the largest microbial sciences gathering in the world. Experts around the world including John Helmann, PhD, and Anne W. Rimoin, PHD, are lined up in ASM Microbe’s cutting-edge scientific program. These experts curated groundbreaking scientific sessions on topics that are shaping the future of humanity. It includes various fields within microbiology, from microbial solutions to global problems to artificial intelligence research.  

February 24th, 2025 

Urobiome is a groundbreaking in-person event exploring the latest advancements in understanding the urobiome. Experts in the field will share their research and insights on how the urobiome influences our health, including common conditions such as UTI, urinary incontinence, and bladder overactivity. This day-long conference is located at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. It is filled with insightful talks, interactive roundtables, and various networking opportunities.  

December 4-6, 2024 

CAIRIBU is a community of NIDDK-funded benign urology research centers and programs. The purpose of the annual meeting is to bring together the directors and research teams and share various research resources. This meeting aims to advance students and early investigators in their development as future leaders in the field of benign urology. This two-and-a-half-day meeting entails poster sessions featuring the works of trainees and early-stage investigators, and scientific sessions featuring esteemed researchers in the field. 

October 22-25, 2024 

AUGS PFD Week brings together health care professionals in the field of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery to collaborate, network, and learn from other’s expertise. PFD Week creates a forum to exchange knowledge, experience, and insights for the improvement of women’s urogynecologic care. The core of the meeting contains two and a half days of scientific presentation with the addition of one day of surgical and clinical workshop sessions.  

We invite former and current patients to join us as advocates in our research journey. Your unique experiences and insights are invaluable in shaping studies that truly address patient needs and priorities. By becoming an advocate, you will have the opportunity to actively contribute to decision-making, bridge the gap between research and real-world impact, and ensure that patient voices are heard. Together, we can create research that makes a difference - your voice matters, and we would love to have you involved! 

For more information about how to become an advocate, please contact Silvia Grant, Ur-BIOME Research Program Leader, by email at silvia.grant@duke.edu. 

There are many ways to make a gift to the Duke Urogynecology Research Program (Ur-BIOME). For more information about giving, please contact Evan Frazer, Director of Development, Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs, by calling 919-717-1968 or by email at evan.frazer@duke.edu.