Infectious Disease and Basic Microbiological Mechanisms Training Grant

List of Current Mentors

Laurie E. Comstock, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Medicine (Microbiology and Immunobiology), Harvard Medical School.

Symbiotic relationships among intestinal bacteria: Dr. Comstock’s laboratory studies the basic biology of predominant bacteria that inhabit the human intestine, including how members of the intestinal microbiota establish and maintain symbiotic relationships. Dr. Comstock has mentored one predoctoral and 7 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Kasper, Lory, and Pier.

Joseph El Khoury, M.D., is Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

Macrophages and microglia in infection, host defense, and neurodegeneration: Dr. El Khoury’s laboratory studies the role of macrophages and microglia in host response to inflammation, neurodegeneration, and the pathogens S. aureus andCryptococcus neoformans. Dr. El Khoury, a past trainee on this T32 (2000-2001), has been the recipient of an American Health Assistance Foundation Alzheimer’s Disease Research Award (2004), an American Federation for Medical Research Junior Physician Investigator Award (2002), and an American Society of Transplantation Trainee Award (2001). He has mentored one predoctoral and 3 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Calderwood, Vyas, and Warren. Dr. El Khoury is a new mentor on this T32, bringing expertise in inflammation and host defense.

Sarah Fortune, M.D., is the Melvin J. and Geraldine L. Glimcher Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health.

Interactions of M. tuberculosis with the host: Using high throughput proteomics and genetic approaches, Dr. Fortune’s laboratory focuses on how M. tuberculosis uses specialized secretion systems, such as ESX1, and surface structures to mediate interactions with the host and enable persistence in the host, and on how M. tuberculosis varies, genetically and/or epigenetically, during the course of individual infection. Dr. Fortune has been the recipient of a Burroughs Wellcome Foundation Investigator award in Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases (2012), a Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award (2010), a PopTech Science and Public Leadership Fellowship (2010), a New Innovator Award from the NIH (2007), and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Award (2007). She has mentored five predoctoral and nine postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Behar, Lipsitch, Murray, Rubin, Ryan, and Waldor. Dr. Fortune is a new mentor on this T32, bringing expertise in proteomic approaches, genetics, and epigenetics to the field of tuberculosis.

Wendy S. Garrett, M.D., Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases (Genetics and Complex Diseases), Harvard School of Public Health.

Interactions of intestinal microbiota and the immune system in inflammatory bowel disease: Dr. Garrett’s laboratory uses mouse models to study how members of the Enterobacteriaceae can drive chronic intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease, focusing on interactions in the intestinal microbiota and with the host. Dr. Garrett has been the recipient of the Searle Scholar’s Award (2011), the Cancer Research Institute Investigator Award (2010), a V Foundation Scholar award (2008), a Burroughs Wellcome Career in Medical Sciences Award (2008), and a Damon Runyon Fellowship (2006-2009). She has mentored three predoctoral and five postdoctoral trainees. She is a new mentor on this T32, bringing expertise in microbiota.

Michael S. Gilmore, Ph.D., is the Sir William Osler Professor of Ophthalmology (Microbiology and Immunobiology), Harvard Medical School.

Molecular biology of multi-drug resistant bacterial pathogens: With the goal of developing new ways to prevent and treat antibiotic resistant infections, the Gilmore laboratory investigates traits on mobile elements in enterococci and staphylococci that destabilize the natural host-commensal relationship. Dr. Gilmore, a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, has been the recipient of the Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award from Research to Prevent Blindness (1997) and the University of Oklahoma Regents Award for Superior Research and Creative Activity (1996). He has mentored 12 predoctoral and 26 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Calderwood, Hooper, Hung, and Walker. Recruited to Harvard in 2004, Dr. Gilmore is a new mentor on this T32, bringing expertise in the area of gram-positive bacterial pathogenesis and antimicrobial resistance.

Darren E. Higgins, Ph.D., is Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School.

Molecular determinants of intracellular bacterial pathogenesis: Dr. Higgins laboratory’s studies the mechanisms of coordinate regulation of bacterial gene expression, host factors required for disease, and protective cellular immune responses that may enable vaccine development in infection by the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Dr. Higgins has been the recipient of an A. W. Baldwin Charitable Foundation Award (2011), a Cox Entrepreneurial Research Award from Harvard University (2008), a Charles E. W. Grinnell Fund for Medical Research Award (2008), a National Science Foundation Career Advancement Award (2007), the Hellman Family Faculty Award from Harvard University (2002), the Giovanni Armenise-Harvard Foundation Research Award (2000), and the William F. Milton Award from Harvard University (2000). Dr. Higgins has mentored 10 predoctoral and 9 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Lesser and Rubin.

David C. Hooper, M.D., is Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

Molecular mechanisms and epidemiology of antibiotic resistance: Dr. Hooper’s research program focuses on quinolone resistance in S. aureus and gram-negative bacteria and the determinants of antibiotic use and infection prevention that affect multidrug resistance. He is the recipient of a MERIT Award from NIH, is a past President of the American Society for Microbiology (2011) and Chair of the Program Committee of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (2003-2007), and is Chief, Infection Control Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital. He has mentored 26 postdoctoral fellows and was Fellowship Program Director, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital from 1994 to 2008. He has collaborated with Drs. Calderwood, Gilmore, Lee, Platt, Ryan, Walensky, Walker, and Warren.

Deborah T. Hung, M.D., Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology and of Molecular Biology, Harvard Medical School, and Assistant Professor, Infectious Disease Program, Broad Institute.

Chemical genetics approach to bacterial pathogenesis: The Hung laboratory merges the powerful fields of chemical biology and bacterial genetics/genomics to the study of infectious diseases, focusing on the in vivo phenotypes of Vibrio cholerae,Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and M. tuberculosis. Dr. Hung has been the recipient of a Kavli Fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences (2009), a Merck Irving S. Sigal Memorial Award from the American Society of Microbiology (2009), a Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinician Scientist Award (2008), a Pew Scholars Award in the Biomedical Sciences (2007), a Maxwell Finland Award for Research Excellence in Infectious Diseases from the Massachusetts Infectious Diseases Society (2006), and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowship for Physician-Scientists (2001-2004). She has mentored seven predoctoral and 15 postdoctoral

trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Gilmore, Lipsitch, Lory, Mekalanos, Murray, Rubin, Ryan, and Walker. Dr. Hung is a new mentor on this T32, bringing expertise in chemical genetic approaches to the study of pathogenesis.

Dennis L. Kasper, M.D., is the William Ellery Channing Professor of Medicine and Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School.

Bacterial-host interactions in symbiosis and pathogenesis: With the goal of generating insights that will lead to new preventive or therapeutic interventions, Dr. Kasper’s group is studying the molecular, chemical, and genetic basis for the interactions of the immune system with bacteria and with important bacterial components, particularly capsular polysaccharides and surface or secreted proteins, focusing on the anaerobic gram-negative organism Bacteroides fragilis, and Francisella tularensis, a potential agent of bioterrorism. Dr. Kasper is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, has mentored two predoctoral and 73 postdoctoral trainees, and has collaborated with Drs. Comstock, Lee, Pier, Platt, Ryan, and Waldor.

Kenneth M. Kaye, M.D., is Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (human herpesvirus 8) pathogenesis: Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus is predominantly latent in the host and has a causative role in Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphomas, and multicentric Castleman's disease. Dr. Kaye’s group is investigating how latency-associated nuclear antigen mediates viral episome persistence, with the goal of enabling the development of strategies that interrupt latency and lead to prevention and treatment of infection-associated tumors. Dr. Kaye has been elected to membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He has mentored nine predoctoral and 17 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Kieff, Platt, and Wang.

Elliott Kieff, M.D., Ph.D., is the Albee Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School.

Molecular pathogenesis of Epstein Barr herpesvirus infection: Dr. Kieff’s laboratory studies the molecular pathogenesis of Epstein Barr herpesvirus infection, which is both highly prevalent in humans and a cause of human malignancies, including B- and T- cell lymphomas, Hodgkin's disease, nasopharygeal carcinoma, and antral gastric carcinomas. The laboratory studies the basic pathways through which the virus alters cell growth and survival, so as to identify essential and synthetic lethal targets for drug discovery. Dr. Kieff is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine, and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was the recipient of an NCI Outstanding Investigator Grant Award (1987). He is a past Chair of the Virology Program at Harvard (1991-2005) and a past Chief of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (1987-2011). He has mentored 27 predoctoral and 33 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Kaye, Munger, Waldor, and Wang.

Igor Koralnik, M.D., is Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School.

Immunopathogenesis of neurotropic viruses: The Koralnik laboratory studies the immunopathogenesis of JC virus in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy using integrated virological, immunological, clinical, and radiological approaches. The group investigates determinants of virus latency and spread and of the immune response that contains JC virus in immunocompetent individuals. Finally, studies are also ongoing on an additional polyomavirus BK virus responsible for nephropathy in some renal transplant recipients. Dr. Koralnik has mentored one predoctoral and 15 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Dr. Wright.

Jean C. Lee, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

Biosynthesis and function of S. aureus extracellular bacterial polysaccharides: Dr. Lee’s laboratory studies the pathogenesis of infections caused by S. aureus, focusing on analysis of the biosynthesis and function of the extracellular bacterial polysaccharides. The laboratory investigates factors involved in colonization, development and evaluation of a multicomponent bioconjugate vaccine to prevent colonization and infection, and the role of cell wall teichoic acid in bacterial survival and resistance to autolysis. She has mentored 12 predoctoral and 18 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Hooper, Kasper, Lipsitch, Pier, and Walker.

Cammie F. Lesser, M.D., Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Medicine (Microbiology and Immunobiology), Harvard Medical School.

Modeling mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis: The Lesser laboratory studies how bacterial pathogens co-opt eukaryotic host cell processes to promote disease, focusing on specialized secretion systems utilized by many gram-negative bacteria to deliver effector proteins into host cells. The laboratory has pioneered the development of a yeast systems-biology approach to identify conserved eukaryotic proteins and processes targeted by the effector proteins. The laboratory is also reengineering bacterial secretion systems to deliver therapeutic molecules into host cells. Dr. Lesser has been the recipient of a EUREKA grant from NIH (2010) and the Charles E. Culpeper Scholar in Medical Sciences award (2004). She has mentored one predoctoral and 5 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Goldberg, Higgins, Lory, and Vyas.

Marc Lipsitch, D.Phil., is Professor of Epidemiology (Immunology and Infectious Diseases), Harvard School of Public Health.

Effects of host immunity on pathogen populations: Dr. Lipsitch’s research concerns the effect of naturally acquired or vaccine-induced immunity and antimicrobial use on the population biology of pathogens and the consequences to human health of changing pathogen populations, combining experimental work with mathematical modeling and epidemiologic analysis, with a major focus on Streptococcus pneumoniae. Dr. Lipsitch is the PI of the MIDAS Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics (NIGMS). He has been the recipient of the ICAAC Young Investigator Award (2002) and the Ellison Foundation New Scholar in Global Infectious Diseases Award (2002), and a member of the Defense Science Board SARS Quarantine Task Force (2003-2004), the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology-H1N1 Working Group (2009), the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Pandemics (2008). He is a member of the Team B Advisory Body to CDC on Novel H1N1 Influenza (2009-present). He has mentored nine predoctoral and 14 postdoctoral trainees and is the recipient of the Harvard School of Public Health Mentoring Award (2006). He has collaborated with Drs. Fortune, Hung, Lee, Murray, Platt, Rubin, Waldor, and Walensky. Dr. Lipsitch is a new mentor on this T32, bringing expertise in the epidemiology and population biology of pathogens.

Stephen Lory, Ph.D., is Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School.

Pathogenesis of opportunistic gram-negative bacterial pathogens of humans: Due to the importance of P. aeruginosa in infections of individuals with cystic fibrosis, neutropenia, burns, or wounds, Dr. Lory’s laboratory investigates the complex signaling pathways and genetic regulatory networks that control its virulence and is developing small molecule inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents against multi-resistant organisms. Dr. Lory is Director of the National Screening Laboratory for the Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Disease, located at Harvard Medical School. He has mentored six predoctoral and 17 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Comstock, Hung, Lesser, Mekalanos, Pier, and Waldor.

Megan B. Murray, M.D., M.P.H., Sc.D., is Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine (Medicine), Harvard Medical School, and Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health.

Epidemiology and genomics of tuberculosis: Dr. Murray’s group studies the epidemiology and genomics of tuberculosis, including comparative genomics of strains, the evolution of drug resistance, modeling of transmission dynamics, how human iron metabolism alters susceptibility, identification of risk factors for transmission of drug sensitive and resistant strains, and outcomes in treatment and control programs. Dr. Murray has been the recipient of a Milton Award (2006). She has mentored seven predoctoral and 13 postdoctoral trainees and has been the recipient of an Excellence in Teaching Award from Harvard School of Public Health (2002) and an Honor for Teaching from Harvard University (2003). She has collaborated with Drs. Calderwood, Fortune, Hung, Lipsitch, and Platt.

Gerald B. Pier, Ph.D., is Professor of Medicine (Microbiology and Immunobiology).

Bacterial pathogenesis and vaccine development: Dr. Pier’s laboratory focuses on defining and testing immune protective mechanisms in bacterial infections relevant to cystic fibrosis and nosocomial pathogens, including P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, S. epidermidis, E. coli, and Yersinia spp. The group analyzes bacterial surface polysac-charides and live attenuated recombinant strains as vaccine candidates and characterizes bacterial receptor-host ligand interactions at mucosal surfaces. Dr. Pier is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advance-ment of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology and has been the recipient of a Research Scholar Award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (1984-1987). He has trained 12 predoctoral students and 51 post-doctoral fellows and has collaborated with Drs. Comstock, Kasper, Lee, Lory, Mekalanos, Platt, and Waldor.

Richard Platt, M.D., M.S., is Professor and Chair, Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Director of Research, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

Epidemiology of infection: Dr. Platt’s group studies pharmacoepidemiology and the epidemiology and preven-tion of nosocomial and community-acquired infections, including methods for use of electronic health data to identify and report these infections, interventions to prevent health-care associated infections, epidemiologic studies of virulence factors in healthcare-associated infections, and use and safety of vaccines, anti-infectives and other therapeutics. Dr. Platt has chaired or been a member of several advisory panels at the Institute of Medicine, the CDC, the FDA, AHRQ, and the American Association of Medical Colleges. He was a Burroughs Wellcome Scholar in Pharmacoepidemiology (1985-1990). He has mentored one predoctoral and 175 postdoc-toral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Hooper, Kasper, Kaye, Lipsitch, Murray, Pier, Wang, and Wright.

Mark C. Poznansky, M.D., Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Director, Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, Massachusetts General Hospital.

Mechanism and function of leukocyte chemorepulsion: Dr. Poznansky’s group studies how pathogens and certain forms of cancer evade the immune system, focusing on the mechanism and physiological and pathological relevance of leukocyte migration away from a chemokinetic agent, with the goal of developing novel immunotherapeutic agents and vaccines that counter these immune evasion mechanisms. He has mentored 60 predoctoral and 19 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Ryan and Warren.

Eric. J. Rubin, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, and Assistant Professor of Medicine (Microbiology and Immunobiology), Harvard Medical School. Bacterial genetics of tuberculosis: Dr. Rubin’s laboratory investigates the mechanisms of pathogenesis, of action of anti-tuberculous drugs, and of tuberculosis resistance, with the goals of understanding these mechanisms and

improving drug therapy. His laboratory also investigates mechanisms of pathogenesis of tularemia. Dr. Rubin has been a Burroughs Wellcome Investigator in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease (2003) and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. He has mentored 11 predoctoral and 17 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Fortune, Higgins, Hung, Lipsitch, Mekalanos, and Waldor.

Edward T. Ryan, M.D., is Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Associate Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health. Immune responses and vaccines for enteric bacteria: Dr. Ryan’s group studies human immune responses to and vaccine development against V. cholerae and Salmonella enterica, the cause of typhoid fever. In collabor-ation with the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, his group compares innate and adaptive immune responses in humans with cholera, their household contacts, and vaccine recipients, as well as immune responses in S. enterica-infected humans. Dr. Ryan has served on numerous advisory boards and panels on tropical diseases and vaccination and is a former President of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. He has mentored six predoctoral and 10 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Calderwood, Fortune, Hooper, Hung, Kasper, Mekalanos, Poznansky, Vyas, and Waldor.

Jatin M. Vyas, M.D., Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. Dendritic cells in fungal infection: Dr. Vyas is interested in the intersection between pathogenic microorganisms and the immune system, with a particular focus on dendritic cells, which link innate and adaptive immunity, possessing the unique capacity to activate naïve T cells. The Vyas laboratory investigates the molecular mechanism of phagosome formation and maturation of dendritic cells upon exposure to the clinically important fungal pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, andCandida albicans. He has mentored four postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. El Khoury, Goldberg, Lesser, Ryan, and Warren.

Matthew K. Waldor, M.D., Ph.D., is Edward H. Kass Professor of Medicine (Microbiology and Immunobiology), Harvard Medical School; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and Associate Member, Broad Institute.

Biology and virulence of enteric pathogens: The Waldor laboratory is exploring the evolution, pathogenicity, and cell biology of the enteric pathogens V. cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). Studies include the mechanisms of bacterial shape, the mechanisms of action of small RNAs, and the diversity and function of DNA modifications. Dr. Waldor is the recipient of the Squibb Award from the Infectious Disease Society of America (2002), a Tufts University Distinguished Faculty Award (2000), a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (1999), a Pew Scholar Award (1998), the Maxwell Finland Young Investigator Award (1996), and the ICAAC Young Investigator Award (1995), and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Microbiology, and the Infectious Disease Society of America. He has mentored 12 predoctoral and 31 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Calderwood, Fortune, Kasper, Kieff, Lory, Mekalanos, Pier, and Ryan.

Rochelle Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., is Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

Outcomes research, cost-effectiveness analysis, and infection control: Dr. Walensky is Co-Director of the Medical Practice Evaluation Center and, within that Center, the Director of the Program in Epidemiology and Outcomes Research in Infectious Diseases. Her group focuses on clinical epidemiology and mathematical simulation modeling of microbial pathogens, including a clinical trial and modeling study on alternative strategies for documenting methicillin-resistant S. aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococcal clearance. Dr. Walensky is a recipient of the Stephen Krane Young Investigator Award from Massachusetts General Hospital (2010) and the Maxwell Finland Award for Research Excellence from the Massachusetts Infectious Disease Society (2002). She has mentored two

predoctoral and 19 postdoctoral trainees and is a recipient of the Young Mentor Award from Harvard Medical School (2010). She has collaborated with Drs. Hooper and Lipsitch.

Suzanne Walker, Ph.D., is Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School; Affiliate Faculty Member, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University; and Associate Member, Broad Institute.

Chemical biology, enzymology, antibiotics, glycosyltransferases, and inhibitors: The Walker laboratory studies bacterial pathways that may be targets for new antibiotics against S. aureus and the human O-GlcNAc transferase, a glycosyltransferase that modulates signaling pathways linked to glucose metabolism. Dr. Walker has been the recipient of an Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society (2011), an Emil Thomas Kaiser Award from the Protein Society (2010), and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2002). She has mentored 23 predoctoral and 17 postdoctoral trainees and is a recipient of the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2003). She has collaborated with Drs. Gilmore, Hooper, Hung, and Lee.

Frederick C. S. Wang, M.D., is Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Molecular pathogenesis of Epstein-Barr virus: Dr. Wang’s research focuses on the role of specific Epstein-Barr virus genes during acute infection in a natural host, during persistent infection, and in tumorigenesis, using a rhesus monkey model of infection. Dr. Wang is a past President of the International Association for Research on Epstein-Barr Virus and Associated Diseases. He has mentored four predoctoral and 18 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Kaye, Kieff, Munger, and Platt.

H. Shaw Warren, M.D., is Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School.

Pathogenesis and treatment of sepsis and induced secondary inflammation: Sepsis is associated with over-whelming stimulation of the innate immune response with tissue damage; Dr. Warren’s research focuses on interactions of the bacterial cell wall with the host and the relationship of bacterial clearance to induced inflam-mation. He has been a recipient of a FIRST Award (1990) and a Hood Award (1987), has mentored 12 pre-doctoral and 9 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. El Khoury, Hooper, Poznansky, and Vyas.

Sean Whelan, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School.

Transcriptional regulation of viral and mammalian genes: Dr. Whelan’s laboratory studies the biology of the negative-sense RNA viruses, which include the significant human pathogens rabies, Nipah, measles, respiratory syncytial, Ebola, and Marburg viruses, using as a model vesicular stomatitis virus. Dr. Whelan has been a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigators in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease (2005-2010) and a Harvard Medical School Hellman Fellow (2005) and has been the recipient of the Genzyme Outstanding Achievements in Biomedical Science Award (2010). He has mentored nine predoctoral and 12 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Drs. Goldberg and Wirth.

Dyann F. Wirth, Ph.D., Richard Pearson Strong Professor and Chair, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health; Senior Associate Member, Broad Institute; and Director, Harvard Malaria Initiative, Harvard School of Public Health.

Molecular biology of parasites: Research in the Wirth laboratory focuses on the mechanism of drug resistance, new drug target discovery, and population diversity of the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Dr. Wirth is a Member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and a past President of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. She has been a recipient of the Bailey K. Ashford Award (1995) and two Burroughs-Wellcome

Awards in Molecular Parasitology (1982, 1985-1990). She has mentored 28 pre-doctoral and 25 postdoctoral trainees and has collaborated with Dr. Whelan.

Sharon B. Wright, M.D., M.P.H., is Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

Prevention of healthcare-associated infections: Dr. Wright's group studies the risk factors, outcomes, and costs of healthcare-associated infections, focusing on methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections in post-partum women and newborns, Clostridium difficile infection, and ventilator-associated pneumonia. She has mentored 13 postdoctoral fellows and has collaborated with Drs. Hooper, Koralnik, Platt, and Weller. Dr. Wright is a new mentor on this T32, bringing expertise in outcomes research and cost analysis.

Priscilla Yang, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School.

Chemistry and biology of host-virus interactions: Dr. Yang’s laboratory uses biological and chemical methods both to study at the molecular and pathway levels how viruses perturb host cells and to exploit this knowledge in the design of therapeutic strategies, focusing on hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and dengue viruses. She has been a John and Virginia Kaneb Fellow and a Hellman Fellow, both of Harvard Medical School. She has mentored two predoctoral and 10 postdoctoral trainees.