Erika Crouch

Erika Crouch is a professor of pathology and the Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Professor of Medical Education at Washington University in St. Louis.

Early life and education
Crouch received her B.S. from Washington State University in 1972. Crouch earned her Ph.D. in 1978 and then her M.D. in 1979, both from the University of Washington. She was a postdoctoral fellow and then a resident in anatomic pathology at the University of Washington. She completed a fellowship in pulmonary pathology at the University of British Columbia as a Parker B. Francis Fellow. In 1983 Crouch joined the Washington University in St. Louis faculty, and as of 2024 she is the Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Professor of Medical Education.

Career and research
Crouch is known for her research in collectins, a carbohydrate binding protein that is involved in the immune system. She identified CP4, a novel secreted collagenous protein, and went on to determine its molecular structure. Working with John Heuser, she examined a surfactant protein, SP-D, and researched the interactions between SP-D and influenza A virus. She has also used structure-function analysis via crystallographic analysis and site-directed mutagenesis.