People

Alison is the Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of MIC and holds a courtesy appointment in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine. She received her PhD from Harvard Medical School on Salmonella infection of polarized epithelial cells. As a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University, Alison investigated the process of gonococcal pilin antigenic variation and developed new approaches for studying gonococcal interactions with human neutrophils.

Alison co-directs the UVA Infectious Diseases Training Program with Dr. William Petri. She teaches bacteriology and immunology content to graduate and medical students. Alison’s recent honors include the 2024 Robert J. Kadner Award for Outstanding Graduate Teaching and an NIH MERIT award.

Ian’s research experience has touched on a broad range of disciplines related to the pathogenesis of bacteria, including Bacillus anthracis at the Institute Pasteur, Listeria monocytogenes at the University of California, Berkeley, and now Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the Criss Lab at the University of Virginia. His primary research focuses on the establishment and utilization of a cervicovaginal biomimetic model of gonorrhea to explore the interplay of N. gonorrhoeae, the innate immune system, and the microbiome in health and disease.

Email: iglomsk@virginia.edu Publications LinkedIn Profile

Mary Broden received her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Cellular & Molecular Biology from the University of Tennessee in 2021. She was an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Dr. Jeremiah Johnson, where she later worked as a research technician before joining the BIMS program in summer of 2022 and the Criss lab in 2023. Mary’s thesis work investigates how Neisseria gonorrhoeae recruits complement inhibitors to modulate neutrophil antimicrobial responses.

Alexandra earned a B.S in Microbiology at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Metropolitan Campus in 2023. She participated in a NIH Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in the Subauste Lab until she joined the BIMS program in the summer of 2024. She joined the Criss Lab in February 2025. Alexandra is investigating how Neisseria gonorrhoeae scavenges sialic acid from the human host and interacts with human cellular receptors to dampen neutrophil activation.

Ian received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Stevenson University, MD in 2018. He participated in the NIH Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) at the University of Georgia in the Avci lab until he enrolled in the BIMS program in the summer of 2019. He joined the Criss lab in the spring of 2020. Ian is investigating how Neisseria gonorrhoeae overcomes metal sequestration and nutritional immunity during infection.

Cami graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2020 with a B.A. in Medicine Health and Society. She is currently an MD-PhD candidate in the UVA Medical Scientist Training Program. Cami joined the Criss lab in 2023 and is investigating how neutrophils influence Neisseria gonorrhoeae iron homeostasis and survival during infection.

Amy received her B.S. in Biology from the College of William & Mary in 2021. She matriculated into the BIMS program after graduation and joined the Criss Lab in 2022. Amy is investigating the role of ribosomal protein paralogs in the Neisseria gonorrhoeae response to zinc limitation

Keena leads the efforts in Core B of the Center for Immunological Interventions Against Gonorrhea (CIIG, supported by NIH U19 AI189178) to define immunological parameters that correlate and predict efficacious immune responses elicited by gonorrhea vaccine candidates. She previously led related efforts in the Gonorrhea Vaccine Cooperative Research Center (NIH U19 AI144180). Keena also conducts experiments to support ongoing lab research on N. gonorrhoeae-host interactions. As lab manager, Keena oversees lab organization, ordering, and compliance with institutional requirements. She joined the Criss lab in 2021 after many years as the manager of Dr. Amy Bouton’s lab in the Department.

Ellie is majoring in Global Public Health, with an expected graduation date of May 2027. She joined the Criss lab in Spring of 2025. Ellie is investigating how N. gonorrhoeae opacity-associated proteins influence bacterial resistance to serum. Prior to UVA, Ellie graduated from Montclair High School (NJ) in 2023.

Evan Lamb, PhD – Graduate Student 2021-2025
Current Position: Medical Student, UVA (MSTP)

Aimee Potter, PhD – Postdoctoral Research Associate 2019-2024
Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Iowa

Amaris Cardenas, PhD – Graduate Student 2018-2024
Current Position: Research Associate, Uniformed Services University

Allie Alcott, PhD — Graduate Student 2017-2022
Current Position: Field Service Specialist, Microscopy, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Mary Gray – Lab Manager 2017-2023
Current Position: Retired

Lacie Werner, PhD – Graduate Student 2018-2023
Current Position: Research Scientist, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

Christopher Baiocco, B.S. – Undergraduate and Lab Specialist 2019-2022 Current Position: Medical Student, University of Virginia

Jocelyn Ray, PhD — Graduate Student, 2017-2022Current Position: Internal Medicine Resident, Johns Hopkins

Asya Smirnov, PhD — Research Associate/Research Scientist 2011-2020
Current Position: Instructor, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis

Stephanie Ragland, PhD — Graduate Student, 2012-2018
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Kagan Lab, Harvard Medical School/Children’s Hospital Boston

Jacqueline Stevens, PhD — Graduate Student, 2014-2018
Current Position: Clinical Fellow in Dermatology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard

Urmila Bharathan — Undergraduate Student, 2015-2018
Current Position: Pediatrician, McLaren Health Care

Katie Hill, MPH — Undergraduate Student, 2016-2018
Current Position: PhD Student, Yale University

Rebecca Dunning — Graduate Student, 2015-2016
Current Position: Senior Scientist, Charles River Laboratories

Rhea Kapania — Undergraduate Student, 2017-2018
Current Position: Physician Assistant, GastroHealth

Richard Juneau, PhD — Postdoctoral Fellow, 2011-2016
Current Position: Associate Professor of Biology, Virginia Western Community College

Brittany Johnson, PhD — Graduate Student, 2009-2014
Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina-Charlotte

Jonathan Handing, PhD — Graduate Student, 2011-2016
Current Position: Senior Scientist, Process and Technical Development, Moderna Therapeutics

Kylene Daily — Undergraduate Student, 2012-2015, Laboratory Specialist 2015-2016
Current Position: Neurology Resident, UCSF

Louise Ball — Laboratory Specialist, 2009-2015
Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Florida