Message from the Chair
We are entering 2023 with four new faculty members. Drs. Jian Zheng (Assistant Professor), Sharmila Nair (Assistant professor), Ryan Doster (Assistant Professor, joint appointment) and Irina Kirpich (Associate Professor). Our co-hires with the Center for Predictive Medicine, the Brown Cancer Center, Division of Infectious Diseases and the Alcohol Center bring deep expertise in viral immunology, cancer, mucosal microbiota/infections and alcohol-induced liver inflammation; greatly expanding the Departmental research and teaching portfolio. Separately, our faculty and students continued to garner additional research funding, exceeding $5M, in the past year. Importantly, of the two NIH P20 programs we are participating in, the renewal application for the Functional Microbiomics CoBRE ($11.5M over five years) received a fundable score after first review. We also submitted the renewal application for our T32 grant in September 2022. Graduate program remains strong with five students receiving their Ph.D. degrees and six new applicants being admitted in 2022.
Items of Interest
Graduate Programs: M.S., Ph.D.
Final Application Deadline: March 1
Full consideration Deadline: January 15
Center for Functional Microbiomics, Inflammation and Pathogenicity
Student Highlights
M&I Graduate Students Receive University Commencement Awards
Recent M&I PhD graduate, Dr. Sarah Price, was named recipient of the Guy Stevenson Award. This award recognizes an outstanding doctoral degree recipient who has demonstrated excellence in both scholarship and leadership within the discipline, and has made significant contributions to teaching and service. The Guy Stevenson Award is the highest honor given by the Graduate School and the winner carries the graduate school banner at both the Doctoral Hooding and Commencement Ceremonies and provides remarks during the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony.
Three recent M&I Graduates, Drs. Trey Landers, Sarah Price, and Matthew Woetse, also received the Graduate Dean's Citation. To be eligible for a Graduate Dean’s Citation, a graduate student must have significant accomplishments beyond the achievement of a high grade point average. Congratulations to all! Click here to watch the ceremony live stream Friday, May 12 at 2:00 p.m. Images from left to right: Trey Landers, Sarah Price, Matthew Woeste
M&I Graduate Students Publish New Findings in Nature Immunology
M&I recent graduates, Drs. Anne Geller, Rejeena Shrestha, and Matthew Woeste, of the Yan lab, recently published a paper in Nature Immunology. Read more about the paper titled "Inducing trained immunity in pro-metastatic macrophages to control tumor metastasis" here. Images from left to right: Anne Geller, Rejeena Shrestha, Matthew Woeste
M&I Graduate Students Publish New Findings in Journal of Leukocyte Biology
M&I recent graduate, Dr. James Harder, and current student, Jing Ma, of the Kosiewicz lab, recently published a paper in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (JLB) entitled, "Male microbiota-associated metabolite restores macrophage efferocytosis in female lupus-prone mice via activation of PPARgamma/LXR signaling pathways". Read more here. Images from left to right: James Harder, Jing Ma
Departmental Events
Microbiology & Immunology Seminar Series
Faculty Highlights
Dr. Donghoon Chung publishes new findings in Science Translational Medicine
M&I Associate Professor, Dr. Donghoon Chung, and collaborators have designed, synthesized and tested a new antiviral compound and shown it to be highly effective against two types of encephalitis viruses that cause devastating illness in humans. Read the article, titled, "Efficacy of a brain-penetrant antiviral in lethal Venezuelan and eastern equine encephalitis mouse models" here. Dr. Chung's research was recently highlighted in UofL News. Click here to read the feature.
Dr. Huang-Ge Zhang publishes new findings in Cell Host & Microbe
M&I Professor, Dr. Huang-Ge Zhang, recently published new findings that were highlighted on the cover of Cell Host & Microbe. The article titled "Gut bacterial isoamylamine promotes age-related cognitive dysfunction by promoting microglial cell death" can be found here.