Our Mission

The mission of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology is two-fold: the education of medical and graduate students and the search for a better understanding the pathogenesis of infectious diseases and the response of the immune system against infectious agents in the areas of medical microbiology. Additional goals are the development of new knowledge concerning microbiological and immunologic processes as related to human health and disease.

The core philosophy of the department is that its educational mission is most likely to be accomplished by a faculty that is actively engaged in innovative and competitive research in relevant biomedical areas. Practicing scientists are most able to communicate to their students the excitement and potential of recent scientific advances in these areas, along with an understanding of the fundamental tenets of microbiology and immunology as scientific disciplines. Thus, the faculty believe the search for new knowledge concerning microbial pathogenesis and the exploration of new avenues to the control and elimination of infectious diseases provide the optimal environment for the education of medical as well as graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The immediate goal of the department is to enhance the international recognition that UTMB now enjoys as a center of excellence for research related to important infectious diseases of humans.

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