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 of patho-mechanism 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. 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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