Rachel M. Presti, MD, PhD

Rachel M. Presti, MD, PhD

Professor of Medicine

Rachel Presti, MD, PhD, is the Medical Director of the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Unit (IDCRU), which conducts clinical and translational research trials in HIV, PrEP, hepatitis, COVID-19, influenza, STIs, fungal infections, vaccines, microbiome and other infectious disease.  IDCRU has been an AIDS Clinical Trials Site since 1987.  She also co-directs the Center for Vaccine Research.

Dr. Presti specializes in clinical and translational research in infectious disease, with a special focus on HIV, SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections.  She has a background in immunology and also has an interest in facilitating translational research in vaccine development as well as viral pathogenesis.  She attends on the general ID consult services teaching fellows, residents, and students. She also sees patients in the virology clinic.

She is currently mentoring fellows and junior faculty in HIV and clinical trials.

Patients seen at

Infectious Diseases Clinic
620 South Taylor Ave., Suite 100
St. Louis, MO 63110

Additional Titles
  • Principal Investigator, NIH – AIDS Clinical Trials Unit at Washington University School of Medicine
  • Medical Director of the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Unit (ID CRU)
  • Section Head of HIV and other viruses and Sexual Health
Education
  • BA: Scripps College, Claremont, CA (1994)
  • Medical Degree: Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (2001)
  • PhD: Washington University, St. Louis, MO (2001)
  • Residency: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (2003)
  • Fellowship, Infectious Diseases: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (2006)
Selected Publications
  1. SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans.  Turner J, Kim W, Kalaidina E, Goss C, Rauseo A, Schmitz A, Hansen L, Haile A, Klebert M, Pusic I, O’Halloran JA, Presti RM, Ellebedy A.  Nature (accepted)
  2. CARD8 is an inflammasome sensor for HIV-1 protease activity.  Wang Q, Gao H, Clark KM, Mugisha CS, Davis K, Tang JP, Harlan GH, DeSelm CJ, Presti RM, Kutluay SB, Shan L.Science. 2021 Mar 19;371(6535):eabe1707. doi: 10.1126/science.abe1707. Epub 2021 Feb 4.PMID: 33542150
  3. Human germinal centres engage memory and naive B cells after influenza vaccination.Turner JS, Zhou JQ, Han J, Schmitz AJ, Rizk AA, Alsoussi WB, Lei T, Amor M, McIntire KM, Meade P, Strohmeier S, Brent RI, Richey ST, Haile A, Yang YR, Klebert MK, Suessen T, Teefey S, Presti RM, Krammer F, Kleinstein SH, Ward AB, Ellebedy AH.Nature. 2020 Oct;586(7827):127-132. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2711-0. Epub 2020 Aug 31.PMID: 32866963

View Rachel Presti’s publications on PubMed.gov »