Dr. Akshitkumar Mistry

Dr. Mistry has joined UofL as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery.  In addition to his clinical duties, his research interests are in genomic characterization of brain tumors and testing novel treatments through clinical trials in an effort to improve brain tumor treatments.  He strongly believes in providing patients opportunities to participate in the latest research on the diseases and conditions that affect them.

Dr. Sharmila Nair

Dr. Nair joined the Department of Microbiology and Immunology as tenure-track Assistant Professor on July 1.  Dr. Nair received her Ph.D in viral immunology from Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Germany, and then received a post-doctoral fellowship from the German Research Foundation to pursue research in Dr. Michael Diamond’s laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Nair’s research explores leveraging the unique tropism of Zika virus to target glioblastoma tumors as well as understand how ZIKV when therapeutically administered can improve anti-tumor immune responses.

Dr. Jian Zheng

Dr. Zheng joined Microbiology and Immunology as tenure-track Assistant Professor on April 1.  He received an M.D. from Southern University in China and his Ph.D. in Immunology from Hong Kong University.  He carried out his postdoctoral research in Dr. Stanley Perlman’s laboratory at the University of Iowa investigating host immune responses to coronaviruses and evaluating potential vaccines as well as anti-viral drugs.  His current research interests are host immune responses to coronaviruses and other respiratory virus infections, age-related immunoregulation and inflammation in the respiratory system, and bridging basic sciences research outcomes to their clinical application.