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Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry Faculty

Hongbo Chi, PhD
Member, Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

hongbo.chi@stjude.org

Research Interests: JNK and p38 MAP kinase (MAPK) pathway in innate and adaptive immunity; Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) pathway in T cell trafficking and immune responses; molecular mechanisms of immune-mediated disorders including infectious and autoimmune diseases.

Terrance Cooper, PhD
Van Vleet Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry

tcooper@uthsc.edu

Research Interests: Eukaryotic genome-wide transcription regulatory networks and cell biology of transcriptional regulation. 

John Cox, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry

jcox@uthsc.edu

Research Interests: Regulation of the endocytosis and intracellular trafficking of membrane transporters, and the role of the cytoskeleton in these processes.

Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry 

efitzpatrick@uthsc.edu

Research Interests: Understanding the mechanisms by which alveolar macrophage activation and polarization contributes to lung pathology during chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis. 

Terrence Geiger, MD, PhD
Member, Department of Pathology

terrence.geiger@stjude.org

Research Interests: Regulation of T-cell responses in and immunotherapy for autoimmune diseases.

Maria Gomes-Solecki, DVM
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry

mgomesso@uthsc.edu

Research Interests: Oral vaccines based in commensal bacteria for prevention and treatment of microbial and allergen induced diseases. Reservoir targeted vaccine for the control of Lyme borreliosis.

Linda Hendershot, PhD
Member, Department of Genetics/Tumor Cell Biology

 Linda.hendershot@stjude.org

Research Interests: Biosynthesis of proteins in the secretory pathway; Signal transduction pathways that are activated by cellular stress.

Suzanne Jackowski, PhD
Member, Department of Infectious Disease

Suzanne.jackowski@stjude.org

Research Interests: Roles of phospholipid synthesis in cellular functions; Regulation of coenzyme A as a determinant of metabolic switching.

Richard Lee, PhD
Member, Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, SJCRH

richard.lee@stjude.org

Research Interests: Novel approaches to antimicrobial drug discovery, and drug mechanism of action and resistance studies.

Kui Li, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry

kli1@uthsc.edu

Research Interests: Virus-host cell interactions during infections of hepatitis C virus and related viruses; innate immune signaling mechanisms to viral infections.

Maureen McGargill, PhD
Assistant Member, Dept. of Immunology

Maureen.McGargill@stjude.org

Research Interests: Our research is focused on the molecular and cellular regulation of T cells during infectious disease and autoimmune disease.

Tanja Mittag, PhD
Assistant Member, Department of Structural Biology

tanja.mittag@stjude.org

Research Interests: Biophysical and functional characterization of the role of multiple degrons in substrate recognition by ubiquitin ligases; the role of 'fuzzy' complexes in signal transduction and ubiquitination.

David Nelson, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry

dnelson@uthsc.edu

Research Interests: Bioinformatics and evolution of the cytochrome P450 superfamily; Molecular history of eukaryotic life.

Tayebeh Pourmotabbed, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry

tpourmotabbe@uthsc.edu

Research Interests: Role of matrix metalloproteinases in glioma and arthritis; Targeting glioma by anti-MMP inhibitors.

Marko Radic, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry

mradic@uthsc.edu

Research Interests: Molecular analysis of autoantibody structure and characterization of autoantigens that elicit autoimmune responses.

Phillip David Rogers, PharmD, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy, LeBonheur Children's Medical Center

drogers@uthsc.edu

Research Interests: Antifungal action and resistance in the pathogenic fungi Candida albicans and Candida glabrata; Host innate immune response to Candida albicans and Candida glabrata.

Edward Rosloniec, PhD
Professor, Department of Medicine and Pathology

erosloniec@uthsc.edu

Research Interests: Role of the MHC class II molecules, T cells, and cytokines in susceptibility to autoimmune arthritis. 

Charles J. Russell, PhD
Associate Member, Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

charles.russell@stjude.org

Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of paramyxovirus entry and pathogenesis; development of vaccines against paramyxovirus infection; structure-based design of inhibitors against paramyxovirus replication. 

Stacey Schultz-Cherry, PhD
Member, Dept. of Infectious Diseases

Stacey.Schultz-Cherry@stjude.org

 Research Interests: Pathogenesis of RNA viruses; specifically influenza and astroviruses. We are interested in the viral-host interactions at the epithelial and innate immune cell level. Our studies encompass a wide range of disciplines including virology, cell biology, and molecular biology. A new area of study in the laboratory is the impact of obesity on influenza virus pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies. We also have several on-going surveillance projects that would expose interested students to virology at the public health interface. 

Paul Thomas, PhD
Associate Member, Department of Immunology, SJCRH 

paul.thomas@stjude.org

Research Interests: My research program is focused on understanding how innate and adaptive immunity determine the outcome of influenza A virus infection in humans and in the mouse model. Over the last few years, we have discovered determinants of pathogenicity among viral strains, characterized the interface of the virus with the host epithelial cell and recruited innate response, and measured the relative contributions of viral- and immune-induced pathology to morbidity and mortality. I continue to pursue a robust program in adaptive immunity, including studies of T cell repertoire and the regulation of T cell receptor expression during viral infection. The regulatory effects on T cell biology by innate host response pathways have important consequences for viral clearance and immunopathology.

Elaine Tuomanen, MD Member and Chair, Department of Infectious Disease

elaine.tuomanen@stjude.org

Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of pneumococcal invasion using in vivo and in vitro models of pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis.

Richard Webby, PhD
Member, Department of Infectious Diseases

richard.webby@stjude.org

Research Interests: Reverse genetics technologies to improve influenza vaccines, as well as to understand the pathogenesis of, and immune response to, influenza viruses

Robert Webster, PhD
Member, Department of Infectious Disease

Robert.webster@stjude.org

Research Interests: The origin and control of pandemic influenza viruses.

Michael Whitt, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry

 mwhitt@uthsc.edu

Research Interests: Molecular basis of negative-strand virus entry, replication, and assembly; Development of cell-specific cytolytic and oncolytic vectors; Molecular mechanisms of viral oncolysis with emphasis on glioblastoma multiformae.

Ae-Kyung Yi, PhD 
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Molecular Sciences

ayi@uthsc.edu

Research Interests: Research focuses on identifying new signaling components in host pattern recognition Eeceptor and signaling pathways that amplify or attenuate pro-inflammatory responses during the course of infection and autoimmue process. 

Nov 15, 2023