Jason R. Spence, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Cell and Developmental Biology and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan Medical School. He attended Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, as an undergraduate. He attended graduate school at Miami University (Ohio) where his research focused on understanding mechanisms that drive regeneration and tissue repair in unique model organisms that maintain regenerative ability throughout life, including Notophthalmus viridescens (Eastern Newt), Ambystoma mexicanum (Axolotl) and the chick. He performed postdoctoral research Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where he turned his focus to understanding mechanisms that regulate embryonic development of endoderm-derived tissue (pancreas, liver, intestine) and utilized human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to understand human differentiation and development. During this time, he pioneered methods to differentiate 3-dimensional intestinal organoids from human pluripotent stem cells. In 2011, Dr. Spence joined the faculty of the University of Michigan Medical School. The focus of the Spence lab include using 3-dimensional organoid human models to study human development and disease, with research focused on understanding intestinal, lung and esophageal development, homeostasis and disease.