Faculty by Discipline
ADMINISTRATION
AGING
Rebeca Wong, PhD
Director of the WHO/PAHO Collaborating Center on Aging and Health: Cross-national studies of the effect of lifestyle transitions, health care utilization, migration, disability and family support on healthy aging in the U.S. and
Latin America.
ASTHMA / ALLERGY
BACTERIAL INFECTIONS
Donald Bouyer, PhD
Pathogen, vector, and host determinants of rickettsial diseases.
Ashok Chopra, PhD, CSc
Molecular pathogenesis of host-parasite interactions; structure-function relationships and regulation of bacterial virulence determinants; anthrax and plague.
Janice Endsley, PhD
Mechanisms and regulation of cell mediated immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Rong Fang, MD, PhD
Immune mechanisms by which intracellular pathogens such as Rickettsia evade host defense surveillance.
Jere McBride, PhD
Role of Ehrlichia DNA binding proteins in modulating eukaryotic host cell gene transcription, and their role in pathobiology and immunity.
Vladimir Motin, PhD
Yersinia pestis pathogenesis; vaccine; therapeutics.
Juan Olano, MD
Development of diagnostics for rickettsial diseases; molecular pathogenesis of rickettsial diseases.
Vsevolod Popov, PhD
Ultrastructure of bacteria (especially rickettsia, ehrlichia, anaplasma, and chlamydia), viruses and protozoa pathogenic for humans and animals and their interaction with the host cells at the ultrastructural level.
Victor Reyes, PhD
Mucosal immunology in infectious diseases and inflammatory bowel disease.
Jian Sha, MD
Host-bacterial interactions, characterization of bacterial virulence determinants, and regulation of virulence gene expression in pathogens such as Aeromonas, Salmonella, and Yersinia.
Alfredo Torres, PhD
Mechanisms used by pathogenic E. coli and other enteric pathogens to adhere and colonize the intestinal epithelia and characterization of the regulatory networks controlling their expression.
David Walker, MD
Immunopathogenesis and immunity in infection with rickettsiae and ehrlichiae and identification of the protein antigens that stimulate immunity.
BIOINFORMATICS / STATISTICS
CHRONIC DISEASES
CLINICAL EDUCATION
Matt Dacso, MD
Epidemiology and social determinants of tropical diseases; global health education
Phil Keiser, MD
International HIV Program and Clinic Director; Health services and outcomes research in care and treatment of HIV and its related infections.
A. Scott Lea, MD
Clinical Tropical medicine, international travel and adult infectious diseases.
Peter Melby, MD - Director
Clinical and research training in tropical diseases; Immunopathogenesis of visceral leishmaniasis; drug discovery for leishmaniasis; malnutrition in infectious diseases.
Janak A. Patel, MD
Clinical Tropical medicine, international travel and pediatric infectious diseases.
Premal Patel, MD
Social determinants of disease in resource limited settings; global health education.
A. Clinton White, Jr., MD
Human host-parasite interface and clinical tropical medicine; clinical and research training in parasitology, tropical medicine, and global health.
CLINICAL MEDICINE
Matt Dacso, MD
Epidemiology and social determinants of tropical diseases; global health education
Phil Keiser, MD
International HIV Program and Clinic Director; Health services and outcomes research in care and treatment of HIV and its related infections.
Peter Melby, MD - Director
Clinical and research training in tropical diseases;
Immunopathogenesis of visceral leishmaniasis; drug discovery for leishmaniasis; malnutrition in infectious diseases.
Janak A. Patel, MD
Clinical Tropical medicine, international travel and pediatric infectious diseases.
Premal
Patel, MD
Social determinants of disease in resource limited settings; global health education.
Melinda Tanabe, MD
Zoonotic helminth infections with a particular interest in fascioliasis diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies
A. Clinton White, Jr., MD
Human host-parasite interface and clinical tropical medicine; clinical
and research training in parasitology, tropical medicine, and global health.
COMMUNITY HEALTH
DIABETES
DRUG DISCOVERY
Peter Melby, MD - Director
Clinical and research training in tropical diseases; Immunopathogenesis
of visceral leishmaniasis; drug discovery for leishmaniasis; malnutrition in infectious diseases.
Bruno L. Travi, DVM, PhD
Immunopathogenesis of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis; identification of new anti-leishmanial drugs; development
and application of affordable, field-oriented molecular tools.
A. Clinton White, Jr., MD
Human host-parasite interface and clinical tropical medicine; clinical and research training in parasitology, tropical medicine, and global health.
ENTOMOLOGY
Dennis Bente, DVM, PhD
Pathogenesis of tick-borne hemorrhagic fever viruses including Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus.
Donald Bouyer, PhD
Pathogen, vector, and host determinants of rickettsial
diseases.
Thomas Ksiazek, DVM, PhD
Epidemiology and ecology and laboratory diagnosis of hemorrhagic fevers and arthropod-borne viral diseases.
Melinda Tanabe, MD
Zoonotic helminth infections with a particular interest in fascioliasis diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies
Robert Tesh, MD
Ecology, epidemiology, pathogenesis and characterization of a variety of arthropod- and rodent-borne viral pathogens; Director of the World Reference Center of Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, located at UTMB.
Nikos Vasilakis,
PhD
Evolution and pathogenesis of arthropod-borne viruses, virus – mosquito, and virus – host interactions utilizing sylvatic dengue virus (DENV) as a model.
Scott Weaver, PhD
Alphavirus vaccine development, arboviral pathogenesis, genetics, ecology and evolution, and mechanisms of virus transmission by mosquitoes.
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Thomas Ksiazek, DVM, PhD
Epidemiology
and ecology and laboratory diagnosis of hemorrhagic fevers and arthropod-borne viral diseases.
Robert Tesh, MD
Ecology, epidemiology, pathogenesis and characterization of a variety of arthropod- and rodent-borne viral pathogens; Director
of the World Reference Center of Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, located at UTMB.
Rebeca Wong, PhD
Director of the WHO/PAHO Collaborating Center on Aging and Health: Cross-national studies of the effect of lifestyle transitions,
health care utilization, migration, disability and family support on healthy aging in the U.S. and Latin America.
FUNGAL INFECTIONS
GENOMICS
HIV / AIDS
Phil Keiser, MD
International HIV Program and Clinic Director; Health services and outcomes research in care and treatment of HIV and its related infections.
IMMUNOLOGY and HOST DEFENSE
Alejandro Castellanos, PhD
Host-parasite relationship and parasite evasion of the immune response.
Yingzi Cong, PhD
Host immune response to intestinal microbiota, how microbiota regulate mucosal immunity, and the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases.
Sara Dann-Grice, PhD
Intestinal immune response to enteric bacterial and protozoal pathogens.
Janice Endsley, PhD
Mechanisms and regulation of cell mediated immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Rong
Fang, MD, PhD
Immune mechanisms by which intracellular pathogens such as Rickettsia evade host defense surveillance.
Nisha Garg, PhD
Inflammation, immunity, and vaccine efficacy in T. cruzi infection and Chagas disease; policy interests in prevention of chronic diseases as a global health problem.
Peter Melby, MD - Director
Clinical
and research training in tropical diseases; Immunopathogenesis of visceral leishmaniasis; drug discovery for leishmaniasis; malnutrition in infectious diseases.
Slobodon Paessler, DVM, PhD
Viral pathogenesis and recombinant genetics
of alphaviruses and arenaviruses.
Janak A. Patel, MD
Clinical Tropical medicine, international travel and pediatric infectious diseases.
Jian Sha, MD
Host-bacterial interactions, characterization of bacterial virulence
determinants, and regulation of virulence gene expression in pathogens such as Aeromonas, Salmonella, and Yersinia.
Lynn Soong, MD, PhD
Mechanisms of protection and pathogenesis in human and experimental Leishmania infection.
Jiaren Sun, MD, PhD
Immunological mechanisms of viral persistence (HCV) and pathogenesis, and the effector function of cytotoxic T cells in disease resolution or progression.
Bruno L. Travi, DVM, PhD
Immunopathogenesis
of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis; identification of new anti-leishmanial drugs; development and application of affordable, field-oriented molecular tools.
David Walker, MD
Immunopathogenesis and immunity in infection with rickettsiae
and ehrlichiae and identification of the protein antigens that stimulate immunity.
Tina Wang, PhD
Immune response to West Nile virus infection in protection and pathogenesis.
A. Clinton White, Jr., MD
Human host-parasite
interface and clinical tropical medicine; clinical and research training in parasitology, tropical medicine, and global health.
IMAGING
Massoud Motamedi, PhD
Imaging approaches to study of pathogenesis of disease; Director, Center
for Biomedical Engineering.
LABORATORY DIAGNOSTICS
Alejandro Castellanos, PhD
Host-parasite relationship and parasite evasion of the immune response.
Nisha Garg, PhD
Inflammation, immunity, and vaccine efficacy in T. cruzi infection and Chagas disease; policy interests in prevention of chronic diseases as a global health problem.
Peter Melby, MD - Director
Clinical
and research training in tropical diseases; Immunopathogenesis of visceral leishmaniasis; drug discovery for leishmaniasis; malnutrition in infectious diseases.
Juan Olano, MD
Development of diagnostics for rickettsial diseases; molecular
pathogenesis of rickettsial diseases.
Lynn Soong, MD, PhD
Mechanisms of protection and pathogenesis in human and experimental Leishmania infection.
Bruno L. Travi, DVM, PhD
Immunopathogenesis of visceral and cutaneous
leishmaniasis; identification of new anti-leishmanial drugs; development and application of affordable, field-oriented molecular tools.
A. Clinton White, Jr., MD
Human host-parasite interface and clinical tropical medicine; clinical
and research training in parasitology, tropical medicine, and global health.
PARASITIC INFECTIONS
Alejandro Castellanos, PhD
Host-parasite relationship and parasite evasion of the immune response.
Sara Dann-Grice, PhD
Intestinal immune response to enteric bacterial and protozoal pathogens.
Nisha Garg, PhD
Inflammation, immunity, and vaccine efficacy in T. cruzi infection and Chagas disease; policy interests in prevention of chronic diseases as
a global health problem.
Peter Melby, MD - Director
Clinical and research training in tropical diseases; Immunopathogenesis of visceral leishmaniasis; drug discovery for leishmaniasis; malnutrition in infectious diseases.
Lynn Soong, MD, PhD
Mechanisms of protection and pathogenesis in human and experimental Leishmania infection.
Melinda Tanabe, MD
Zoonotic helminth infections with a particular interest in fascioliasis diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies
Bruno L. Travi, DVM, PhD
Immunopathogenesis of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis; identification
of new anti-leishmanial drugs; development and application of affordable, field-oriented molecular tools.
A. Clinton White, Jr., MD
Human host-parasite interface and clinical tropical medicine; clinical and research training in parasitology,
tropical medicine, and global health.
PROTEOMICS
PUBLIC HEALTH
Phil Keiser, MD
International HIV Program and Clinic Director.
Thomas Ksiazek, DVM, PhD
Epidemiology and ecology and laboratory diagnosis
of hemorrhagic fevers and arthropod-borne viral diseases.
RESEARCH EDUCATION
Peter Melby, MD - Director
Clinical and research training in tropical diseases; Immunopathogenesis of visceral leishmaniasis; drug discovery for leishmaniasis; malnutrition in infectious diseases.
A. Clinton White, Jr., MD
Human host-parasite interface and clinical tropical medicine; clinical and research training in parasitology, tropical medicine, and global health.
STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
VACCINE
Alan Barrett, PhD
Director of the Sealy Center for Vaccine Development and the predoctoral T32 in “Emerging and Tropical Infectious Diseases”; Development of vaccines against flavivirus diseases, including West Nile, Japanese
encephalitis, yellow fever and dengue; generation of YF17D chimeric vaccine viruses; identification of molecular determinants of virulence of West Nile and Japanese encephalitis viruses.
Dennis Bente, DVM, PhD
Pathogenesis of tick-borne
hemorrhagic fever viruses including Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus.
Antonella Casola, MD
Viral and host-specific mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of respiratory viral infections; development of novel therapeutic
interventions and vaccine candidates.
Nisha Garg, PhD
Inflammation, immunity, and vaccine efficacy in T. cruzi infection and Chagas disease; policy interests in prevention of chronic diseases as a global health problem.
Tetsuro Ikegami, PhD
Molecular virology and vaccine development of important emerging viral diseases such as Rift Valley fever virus.
Peter Melby, MD - Director
Clinical and research training in tropical diseases; Immunopathogenesis
of visceral leishmaniasis; drug discovery for leishmaniasis; malnutrition in infectious diseases.
Vladimir Motin, PhD
Yersinia pestis pathogenesis; vaccine; therapeutics.
Lynn Soong, MD, PhD
Mechanisms of protection and pathogenesis in human and experimental Leishmania infection.
David Walker, MD
Immunopathogenesis and immunity in infection with rickettsiae and ehrlichiae and identification of the protein antigens
that stimulate immunity.
Scott Weaver, PhD
Alphavirus vaccine development, arboviral pathogenesis, genetics, ecology and evolution, and mechanisms of virus transmission by mosquitoes.
VIRAL INFECTIONS
Alan Barrett,
PhD
Director of the Sealy Center for Vaccine Development and the predoctoral T32 in “Emerging and Tropical Infectious Diseases”; Development of vaccines against flavivirus diseases, including West Nile, Japanese encephalitis, yellow
fever and dengue; generation of YF17D chimeric vaccine viruses; identification of molecular determinants of virulence of West Nile and Japanese encephalitis viruses.
Dennis Bente, DVM, PhD
Pathogenesis of tick-borne hemorrhagic
fever viruses including Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus.
Antonella Casola, MD
Viral and host-specific mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of respiratory viral infections; development of novel therapeutic interventions
and vaccine candidates.
Alexander Freiberg, PhD
Host-pathogen interaction in the development of disease following Nipah and Hendra virus and Bunyavirus (Rift Valley fever virus) infection.
Roberto P. Garofalo, MD
Respiratory syncytial virus
immunopathogenesis; inflammation; cytokine transcription; eosinophils; epithelial cell signaling.
Thomas Geisbert, PhD
Pathogenesis of emerging and re-emerging viruses (Ebola virus, Marburg virus, and Lassa virus) that require Biosafety
level (BSL)-4 containment and development of countermeasures against these viruses.
Tetsuro Ikegami, PhD
Molecular virology and vaccine development of important emerging viral diseases such as Rift Valley fever virus.
Thomas Ksiazek, DVM, PhD
Epidemiology and ecology and laboratory diagnosis of hemorrhagic fevers and arthropod-borne viral diseases.
Shinji Makino, DVM, PhD
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) replication strategies, virus-host interactions and RVFV pathogenesis.
Gregg Milligan, PhD
Activation, effector function, and regulation of immunity to herpes
simplex virus; interactions between viral pathogens and the innate immune system and how these interactions shape the adaptive immune response.
Slobodon Paessler, DVM, PhD
Viral pathogenesis and recombinant genetics of alphaviruses
and arenaviruses.
Janak A. Patel, MD
Clinical Tropical medicine, international travel and pediatric infectious diseases.
Vsevolod Popov, PhD
Ultrastructure of bacteria (especially rickettsia, ehrlichia, anaplasma,
and chlamydia), viruses and protozoa pathogenic for humans and animals and their interaction with the host cells at the ultrastructural level.
Richard Pyles, PhD
Molecular evaluation of pathogens and the host response to infections
using in vitro and in vivo modeling and molecular analyses.
Jiaren Sun, MD, PhD
Immunological mechanisms of viral persistence (HCV) and pathogenesis, and the effector function of cytotoxic T cells in disease resolution or progression.
Robert Tesh, MD
Ecology, epidemiology, pathogenesis and characterization of a variety of arthropod- and rodent-borne viral pathogens; Director of the World Reference Center of Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, located at UTMB..
Chien-Te Tseng, PhD
Initiation and regulation of the innate immune response to RNA viruses and viral mechanisms of immune evasion.
Nikos Vasilakis, PhD
Evolution and pathogenesis of arthropod-borne viruses, virus –
mosquito, and virus – host interactions utilizing sylvatic dengue virus (DENV) as a model.
Tina Wang, PhD
Immune response to West Nile virus infection in protection and pathogenesis.
Scott Weaver, PhD
Alphavirus vaccine development, arboviral pathogenesis, genetics, ecology and evolution, and mechanisms of virus transmission by mosquitoes.
Min Kyung Yi, PhD
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) particle assembly,
therapeutic target discovery, and pathogenesis of HCV-induced metabolic diseases and cancer.