Tamika Simmons, HTL-ASCP, is a certified histotechnologist with an immunohistochemistry, histopathology and biomarker detection background. She is part of the Biorepository/Research histology team at UTMB and works on various projects involving infectious diseases, neurobiology and translational medicine. Tamika's passion is mental health biomarker research and applies a One Health approach to look at how immune responses and environmental factors impact health outcomes.

A U.S. Army veteran, Tamika was a CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) Specialist in the military and gained experience in CBRN detection, biosafety, lab procedures and emergency response. She has a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of North Texas and has worked in mental health clinics & academic and clinical labs applying her skills in multiple research areas.

Timothy Wanninger is a MD/PhD student who studies the immune response and infectious diseases, aids investigation of the human/animal/environmental health interface, and contributes to specialized care for infectious diseases.

Timothy engages in multiple projects, including studies on inflammatory liver diseases, Arenavirus pathogenicity, and his thesis work on macrophages in Ebola virus disease. He also writes for UTMB’s One Health Newsletter and assists with infectious disease preparedness as part of the Special Pathogens Excellence in Clinical Treatment Readiness & Education Program.

Timothy holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Biochemistry from Regis University in Denver, CO. He completed post-baccalaureate work in the lab of John Mascola, MD at the Vaccine Research Center (NIAID) as part of the NIH Intramural Research Training Award program. Timothy is currently completing his PhD training in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology under the mentorship of Heather Stevenson-Lerner, MD, PhD and Slobodan Paessler, DVM, PhD. He has received a TL1 Fellowship from the Institute for Translational Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Timothy-Wanninger

Welcome, Tim!