Research Groups and Labs
Research is supported by more than $29 million in annual extramural funding in eight departments and four divisions in the School of Medicine, including global health initiatives supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the NIH, and carried out with partners in countries around the world, among them Bangladesh, Brazil, Haiti, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Chelsea Marie Braun, PhD
PRIMARY APPOINTMENT:
Medicine, Infectious Disease and International Health
RESEARCH AREAS:
The Marie lab is focused on understanding host-pathogen interactions of intestinal pathogens. We focus on Cryptosporidium, a critically important pediatric diarrheal pathogen. In 2016, Cryptosporidium was the fifth leading diarrheal pathogen in children under five years, causing ~48,000 deaths and the loss of > 4.2 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Cryptosporidium is associated with growth faltering in children, making this a key pathogen for intervention.
Scott Heysell, MD, MPH
PRIMARY APPOINTMENT:
Thomas H. Hunter Associate Professor of International Medicine
RESEARCH:
The research group focuses on optimizing technologies and gaining a better understanding of anti-tuberculosis (TB) drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to improve treatment outcomes in patients with mycobacterial diseases or with comorbid HIV, diabetes, and/or malnutrition. Consequent secondary areas of interest include the development of laboratory assays for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies, the building of infrastructure for community-based research in TB-endemic settings, clinical trials of TB drug regimens, machine learning analyses for outcomes prediction, and health systems research for growing equity-based solutions to social drivers of health.
Eric Houpt, MD
PRIMARY APPOINTMENT:
Professor, Division Head, Infectious Disease and International Health
RESEARCH AREAS:
The Houpt Group Laboratory—within the Division of Infectious Diseases & International Health—is involved in projects focused on molecular diagnostic tools for infectious diseases. We search for a research diagnostic that can rapidly and accurately identify acute febrile illness agents and develop panels of PCR-based diagnostic tests to detect a full range of enteropathogens.
We focus on tuberculosis research, trying to improve patient outcomes by developing rapid diagnostics that can identify which drugs to use and identifying markers for poor therapeutic response.
William A. Petri, Jr, MD PhD
PRIMARY APPOINTMENT:
-
- Wade Hampton Frost Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Medicine
- Professor of Medicine – Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology; Pathology; Medicine- Infectious Diseases and International Health
RESEARCH AREAS:
William A. Petri, Jr, M.D PhD studies immunology and molecular pathogenesis of infectious diseases and their consequences. The scope of the research includes immunopathogenesis and vaccine development for COVID-19, molecular parasitology of Entamoeba, innate immune host defense against Clostridium difficile, and in Bangladesh, acquired immunity to Cryptosporidium. We study infections in mouse models, in humans (including clinical trials), and at the lab bench.
Mami Taniuchi, PhD
PRIMARY APPOINTMENT:
Associate Professor of Medicine: Infectious Diseases
and International Health,
Biomedical Engineering and Engineering Systems and
Environment
RESEARCH AREAS:
Environmental Surveillance; Molecular diagnostics; Polio eradication; tracking immunity and virus shedding after oral polio vaccination in resource-challenged countries.
Tania A. Thomas, MD MPH
PRIMARY APPOINTMENT:
Associate Professor
Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health
RESEARCH AREAS:
Tuberculosis, childhood tuberculosis, biomarkers, HIV, HPV-related anal dysplasia