Dr. Van Otterloo joined the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in 2019 as an assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associate from 2012-2019 in the Department of Craniofacial Biology at the University of Colorado, School of Dental Medicine, before transitioning to UI.

Current Positions

Associate Professor of Periodontics
Associate Professor of Iowa Institute for Oral Health
Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology

Education

PhD in Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
BA in Biology, Dordt University, Sioux Center, Iowa
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Craniofacial and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado - Denver, Aurora, Colorado

Center, Program and Institute Affiliations

Dental Student Research Program

Selected Awards & Honors

Editorial Board, Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences - Genome Organization and Dynamics
Editorial Board, Frontiers in Dental Medicine
Editorial Board, Journal of Dental Research
Early-Career Investigator: H.W. Mossman Award in Developmental Biology, American Association for Anatomy
Society for Craniofacial Genetics and Developmental Biology conference Travel Award, Society for Craniofacial Genetics and Developmental Biology
Postdoc Research Day Poster Competition Award, University of Colorado - Denver, Aurora, Colorado
School of Dental Medicine Annual Research Day BEST Postdoc Poster Winner, University of Colorado - Denver, Aurora, Colorado
Postdoc Research Day Poster Competition Award, University of Colorado - Denver, Aurora, Colorado
American Association of Anatomists Postdoctoral Fellowship recipient, American Association for Anatomy
Cleft Palate Foundation Junior Investigator Research Grant, Cleft Palate Foundation

Professional Memberships

Genetics Society of America (GSA)
International/American Association for Dental Research - Mineralization Group (IADR/AADR)
International/American Association for Dental Research - Craniofacial Group (IADR/AADR)
Society for Craniofacial Genetics and Developmental Biology (SCGDB)
American Association for Anatomy (AAA)
Society for Developmental Biology (SDB)
American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA)

Selected Publications

Shao F, Van Otterloo E, Cao H. Computational identification of key transcription factors for embryonic and postnatal Sox2+ dental epithelial stem cell. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2023 Dec 23:2023.12.22.573158. doi: 10.1101/2023.12.22.573158. PMID: 38187542; PMCID: PMC10769342.
Leinheiser AK, Nguyen TT, Henry KM, Rosales M, Van Otterloo E, Grueter CE. Heterozygous Med13L mice recapitulate developmental growth delays and facial anomalies seen in MED13L syndrome. Under Revision - Developmental Dynamics.
Petrin AL, Machado-Paula LA, Hinkle A, Hovey L, Awotoye W, Chimenti M, Darbro B, Ribeiro-Bicudo LA, Dabdoub SM, Peter T, Breheny P, Murray JC, Van Otterloo E, Rengasamy Venugopalan S, Moreno-Uribe LM. Familial Oculoauriculovertebral Spectrum: A Genomic Investigation of Autosomal Dominant Inheritance. Cleft Palate Craniofac J. 2025 Jan 17:10556656241306202. doi: 10.1177/10556656241306202. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39819101.
Kenny C, Dilshat R, Seberg HE, Van Otterloo E, Bonde G, Helverson A, Franke CM, Steingrímsson E, Cornell RA. TFAP2 paralogs facilitate chromatin access for MITF at pigmentation and cell proliferation genes. PLoS Genet. 2022 May 17;18(5):e1010207. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010207. Erratum in: PLoS Genet. 2022 Aug 29;18(8):e1010378. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010378. PMID: 35580127; PMCID: PMC9159589.
Van Otterloo, E., Milanda, I., Pike, H., Thompson, J. A., Li, H., Jones, K. L. & Williams, T. (2022). AP-2α and AP-2β cooperatively function in the craniofacial surface ectoderm to regulate chromatin and gene expression dynamics during facial development. eLife 11. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.70511. PMID: 35333176. PMCID: PMC9038197.
Woodruff, E. D., Gutierrez, G. C., Van Otterloo, E., Williams, T. & Cohn, M. J. (2021). Anomalous incisor morphology indicates tissue-specific roles for Tfap2a and Tfap2b in tooth development. Developmental biology 472 67-74. DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.12.017. PMID: 33460639. PMCID: PMC8018193.
Rengasamy Venugopalan, S. & Van Otterloo, E. (2021). The Skull's Girder: A Brief Review of the Cranial Base. Journal of developmental biology 9 (1). DOI: 10.3390/jdb9010003. PMID: 33498686. PMCID: PMC7838769.
Schotanus, M. D. & Van Otterloo, E. (2020). Finding MEMO-Emerging Evidence for MEMO1's Function in Development and Disease. Genes 11 (11). DOI: 10.3390/genes11111316. PMID: 33172038. PMCID: PMC7694686.
Jereb, S., Hwang, H. W., Van Otterloo, E., Govek, E. E., Fak, J. J., Yuan, Y., Hatten, M. E. & Darnell, R. B. (2018). Differential 3' Processing of Specific Transcripts Expands Regulatory and Protein Diversity Across Neuronal Cell Types. eLife 7. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.34042. PMID: 29578408. PMCID: PMC5898910.
Van Otterloo, E., Li, H., Jones, K. L. & Williams, T. (2018). AP-2α and AP-2β cooperatively orchestrate homeobox gene expression during branchial arch patterning. Development (Cambridge, England) 145 (2). DOI: 10.1242/dev.157438. PMID: 29229773. PMCID: PMC5825845.

Selected Grants & Contracts

Identifying transcriptional interplay between skin and oral ectoderm during mandibular patterning; National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; Kenny, Colin (Co-Investigator), Cao, Huojun (Multi-PI), Van Otterloo, Eric (Multi-PI)
Identifying the core transcriptional regulatory network initiating a tooth program; National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; Kenny, Colin (Co-Investigator), Rengasamy Venugopalan, Shankar (Co-Investigator), Cao, Huojun (Multi-PI), Van Otterloo, Eric (Multi-PI)
Understanding the Interaction of MEMO1 and RUNX2 in Craniodental Mineralization; National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; Van Otterloo, Eric (Principal Investigator)
Dissecting the PRMT5 Regulatory Pathway in Oral Epithelium Differentiation; University of Iowa - P3 Initiative; Van Otterloo, Eric (Co-Investigator), Cornell, Robert (Principal Investigator)
Tissue Specific Roles of TFAP2 in Temporomandibular Joint Development; University of Iowa - College of Dentistry; Van Otterloo, Eric (Principal Investigator)
Elucidating the Mouse Incisor at Single-Cell Resolution; University of Colorado - Denver; Van Otterloo, Eric (Principal Investigator)
Understanding the Interaction of MEMO1 and RUNX2 in Craniodental Mineralization; National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; Van Otterloo, Eric (Principal Investigator)
Deciphering the Role of Mediator of Erbb2 Driven Cell Motility (MEMO1) in Regulating Craniofacial Development; National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; Van Otterloo, Eric (Principal Investigator)
Deciphering the Role of Mediator of Erbb2 Driven Cell Motility (MEMO1) in Regulating Craniofacial Development; National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; Van Otterloo, Eric (Principal Investigator)
Deciphering the Role of Mediator of Erbb2 Driven Cell Motility (MEMO1) in Regulating Craniofacial Development; American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association; Van Otterloo, Eric (Principal Investigator)