Nisha J. Garg, MBA, PhD
Nisha J Garg, MBA, PhD is Director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, Robert E. Shope, MD Distinguished Chair in Global Health, and Professor of Microbiology & Immunology.
Dr. Garg’s research program integrates RNA biology, metabolism, and calcium signaling to investigate immunity and pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Her research has been continuously funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) for more than 25 years. Her work has led to novel concepts in redox regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and macrophage inflammation, as well as the development of a bicistronic immunogen therapy for Chagas disease.
Her current research employs high throughput and advanced molecular approaches to define the mechanisms underlying protective versus pathogenic T cell immunity, and to investigate nuclear calcium signaling in the cardiac transcriptome during health and disease. Her research program also addresses the molecular pathogenesis of coagulopathy affecting the heart, liver, and brain, with the goal of developing RNA-based immunotherapies for the multi-faceted manifestations of Chagas disease.
Dr. Garg has established extensive international collaborations with scientists in Mexico, Argentina, and Uruguay. These partnerships have resulted in successfully funded projects investigating mitochondrial dysfunction in human Chagas disease, the transmission and virulence of Trypanosoma cruzi in reservoir hosts, and the efficacy of candidate vaccines in dogs, among other areas. She has authored >155 publications, with over 90% involving predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees.
A dedicated mentor, Dr. Garg has supported the development of young scientists at institutional, national and international levels. She served for two years as Chair of the Academy of Research Mentors, where she established a peer-to-peer mentoring program. Her professional honors include the Graduate School Excellence in Research Award, election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and selection as a Fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program. As a Franklin Fellow with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development, Dr. Garg worked to strengthen the connections between global academic research and public health policymaking, with particular emphasis on neglected infectious diseases and the development of international research partnerships throughout the Latin America and Caribbean region.
Dr. Garg has served on several professional and scientific committees, including the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Professional Development Committee, ASM Public & Scientific Affairs Committee, and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Kinetoplast Committee, among others. She also serves on NIH, American Heart Association, and international study sections and scientific advisory boards for fellowship, research, and center grants.
Dr. Garg received PhD degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Haryana Agricultural University, India in1988. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in immunology at the University of Georgia in Athens, she joined the faculty position at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 2000.