{"id":4849,"date":"2025-06-12T09:28:07","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T13:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/med.virginia.edu\/bims\/?p=4849"},"modified":"2025-06-12T09:46:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T13:46:23","slug":"congratulations-to-claire-fleming-recipient-of-a-phmra-foundation-predoctoral-fellowship-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/med.virginia.edu\/bims\/congratulations-to-claire-fleming-recipient-of-a-phmra-foundation-predoctoral-fellowship-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Congratulations to Camille Westlake, Recipient of a NIH F30 \u2013 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Camille

Photo by Amanda Maglione<\/p><\/div>\n

Camille was awarded an NIH F30, an individual Predoctoral MD\/PhD Fellows Award from that will begin on November 23, 2025.\u00a0 Cami is a doctoral candidate in Microbiology in the lab of Alison Criss.<\/p>\n

Cami received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Medical Health and Society from Vanderbilt University.<\/p>\n

We asked Camille to tell us about her research and hopes for the future.\u00a0 Here\u2019s what she said:<\/p>\n

Can you tell us about your research?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our lab studies\u00a0Neisseria gonorrhoeae<\/em>, which is the bacterial pathogen that causes the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. If left untreated, gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. These clinical consequences are thought to be a result of the inflammatory response to\u00a0N. gonorrhoeae<\/em>, which is characterized by robust neutrophil recruitment. Neutrophils are highly inflammatory immune cells, but\u00a0N. gonorrhoeae<\/em>\u00a0is able to survive in the presence of neutrophils and even hijack them for nutrients. My project focuses on how neutrophils release the human stress hormone norepinephrine and how\u00a0N. gonorrhoeae<\/em>\u00a0uses it as a signal to survive during infection. More specifically, I am investigating how norepinephrine alters bacterial iron homeostasis to allow\u00a0N. gonorrhoeae<\/em>\u00a0to better cope with iron limitation during infection.<\/p>\n

What drives or motivates your scientific pursuits?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I enjoy the challenge of rigorous research and the excitement of scientific discovery that results. I\u2019ve always been curious about how the human body functions and the mechanisms underlying disease, but what truly drives my scientific pursuits is the potential to improve patient care. My project is especially exciting because it investigates the interface between host immune responses and bacterial survival strategies\u2014an area with both fundamental and translational significance.<\/p>\n

What are your future goals?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

My long-term goal is to lead an infectious disease research program and also provide patient care to stay connected with the impact of my research and identify unmet clinical needs in the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Camille was awarded an NIH F30, an individual Predoctoral MD\/PhD Fellows Award from that will begin on November 23, 2025.\u00a0 Cami is a doctoral candidate in Microbiology in the lab of Alison Criss. Cami received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Medical Health and Society from Vanderbilt University. We asked Camille to tell us about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2214,"featured_media":4850,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-graduate-student-fellowships"],"acf":false,"yoast_head":"\nCongratulations to Camille Westlake, Recipient of a NIH F30 \u2013 Ruth L. 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