Key Faculty & Specific Research Interests

Megan Tierney Baldridge, MD, PhD

Megan Tierney Baldridge, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Departments of Medicine and Molecular Microbiology

Dr. Baldridge studies the complicated interplay among three important factors: commensal microbes, the host immune system, and viral and bacterial pathogens.

Jacco Boon, PhD

Jacco Boon, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Molecular Microbiology and Pathology and Immunology

Dr. Boon He specializes in basic research on RNA viruses, with a special focus on emerging virus such as influenza virus, Bourbon virus and SARS-CoV-2.

Matthew Cain, PhD

Matthew Cain, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Brett Case, PhD

Brett Case, PhD

Instructor in Medicine

Dr. Case’s primary research interests include vaccine design, generation of broadly cross-reactive immune responses, mucosal immunity, viral immunology, and emerging pathogens.

Zhenlu Chong, PhD

Zhenlu Chong, PhD

Instructor in Medicine

Dr. Chong specializes in innate immunology and infectious diseases, with a special focus on how innate immunity responds to flavivirus infection. He is also very interested in identifying host factors of flaviviruses including West Nile virus, Dengue virus, Zika virus, etc. by using CRISPR screening.

Pritesh Desai, PhD

Pritesh Desai, PhD

Instructor in Medicine

Dr. Desai concentration is immunology and microbiology, and virology.

Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD

Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD

The Herbert S. Gasser Professor, Departments of Medicine, Molecular Microbiology, Pathology & Immunology

Michael Diamond, MD, PhD is the leader of a basic and translational research laboratory studying the interface between viral pathogenesis and host immunity. His laboratory focuses on emerging RNA viruses including flaviviruses, alphaviruses, and coronaviruses.

Javan Kisaka, PhD

Javan Kisaka, PhD

Instructor in Medicine

Dr. Kisaka specializes in cell, structural and molecular microbiology and currently works in the Kyei Lab.

Robyn S. Klein, MD, PhD

Robyn S. Klein, MD, PhD

The Robert E. and Louise F. Dunn Distinguished Professor of Medical Sciences, Departments of Medicine and Pathology and Immunology

Dr. Klein is an internationally renowned neuroimmunologist who oversees a basic and translational science research program focused on the pathogenesis of neuroinfectious diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Studies in the Klein laboratory focus on cellular and molecular mechanisms that orchestrate inflammation and define its impact on CNS function during both viral and autoimmune encephalitides.

George B. Kyei, MBChB, PhD

George B. Kyei, MBChB, PhD

Associate Professor, Departments of Medicine and Molecular Microbiology

Dr. Kyei specializes in HIV basic and translational research, with a special focus on viral latency and reactivation specifically:  (i) characterization of factors that control HIV replication in macrophages, dendritic and resting T cells and (ii) identification of cellular factors and small molecules required for HIV reactivation in latently infected cell and (iii) perspectives of HIV patients on HIV cure.

Daisy W. Leung, PhD

Daisy W. Leung, PhD

Associate Professor, Departments of Medicine, Pathology and Immunology, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics

The Leung Lab is focused on developing a mechanistic understanding of host-pathogen interactions that contribute to viral pathogenesis through immune evasion.

Hongming Ma PhD

Hongming Ma PhD

Instructor in Medicine

Dr. Ma is skilled in Cell Biology, Science, Molecular Biology, Research, and Teaching. Strong education professional with a Ph. D. focused in Immunology of aquatic animals from Ocean University of China.

Rachel M. Presti, MD, PhD

Rachel M. Presti, MD, PhD

Professor of Medicine

Dr. Presti specializes in clinical and translational research in infectious disease, with a special focus on HIV, SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections.

Adriana M.  Rauseo, MD

Adriana M. Rauseo, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Dr. Rauseo specializes in clinical infectious diseases, with a special focus on mycology and infectious that affect immunocompromised hosts. Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic she has served as an investigator in the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Unit (ID-CRU) in multiple clinical trials and translational research in the fight against COVID-19.

Liang Shan, PhD

Liang Shan, PhD

Associate Professor in Medicine and of Pathology & Immunology

The Shan lab uses in vitro, ex vivo, and humanized mouse models to study basic immunobiology of HIV infection and develops immunotherapeutic strategies towards an HIV cure; HIV-1 infection and host immune responses