Infection and Immunity: The Pathogenesis of Host-Microbe Interactions Training Program
Infection and Immunity: The Pathogenesis of Host-Microbe Interactions Training Program
The overarching goal of this predoctoral training program is to train the next generation of researchers in microbiology, and to prepare them with the skills necessary to address the nation’s critical needs in the battle against infectious disease. Our program takes a student-centric approach that blends didactic and wet lab learning with the University of Rochester’s signature URBEST program in career preparedness to develop self-motivated, independent research scientist who are well prepared for diverse research careers.
Our Faculty
The training faculty in this program are members of the various departments across UR and URMC.
Our T32 Trainees
Blurb about the trainees. This blurb should be approximately this long (in words).
News and Announcements
News and Announcements
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Interleukin-13 reprograms orbital fibroblasts in thyroid eye disease to drive tissue remodeling"
Charkira Patrick - Graduate Student
May 07, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Zoom linkHost: Advisors: Collynn Woeller, Ph.D. & Jacques Robert, Ph.D.
"Macrophage Niches Shape Tumor Immunity and B cells Spark the Response"
Claudia Jakubzick, PhD - Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine
May 04, 2026 @ 11:00 a.m.
Medical Center | K-307 (3-6408)
Host: Immunology T32 Students - Sponsored by NIH/NIAID Predoctoral Training Program in Immunology
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Influenza Hemagglutinin Reactive Memory B cells in the Human Spleen Reside in Distinct Phenotypic Clusters"
Molly Niska - Graduate Student
Apr 30, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K307
Host: Advisors: Martin Zand, MD, Ph.D.& Tim Mosmann, PhD
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Integrating two models of lung-memory CD8+ T cell differentiation"
Taylor Jones - Graduate Student
Apr 16, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: David Topham, Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "The Impact of oligofructose on immunity and Staphylococcus aureus adaptive virulence in obesity and type 2 diabetes-related osteomyelitis infections"
Emily Britt - Graduate Student
Apr 09, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Steve Gill, Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Reversing age-related dendritic fields and behavioral decline by targeting the menorin pathway"
Ian Stone - Graduate Student
Mar 26, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | M307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Carlos Díaz-Balzac, M.D., Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Understanding the Tissue Culture Replication Barrier of Molluscum Contagiosum Poxvirus"
Ashay Narayana - Graduate Student
Mar 12, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K-307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Brian Ward, Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Prenatal Effects on Regulatory T cell Development and Function in Allergic and Non-Allergic Pediatric Subjects"
Emma Tonetti - Graduate Student
Mar 05, 2026 @ 12:30 p.m.
Medical Center | K307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Kirsi Järvinen-Seppo, M.D., Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Investigating Molecular Determinants that Regulate the MV-EV Transition During Orthopoxvirus Infection"
Riley Steel - Graduate Student
Mar 05, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K-307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Brian Ward, Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Chronic infection drives long-term transcriptional remodeling of the small intestine"
Tyler Smith - Graduate Student
Feb 26, 2026 @ 12:30 p.m.
Medical Center | K-307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Felix Yarovinsky, M.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Investigating the role of a putative secondary metabolite pathway in Mycobacterium abscessus virulence using a Xenopus laevis tadpole model"
Shelby Peres - Graduate Student
Feb 26, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K-307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Jacques Robert, Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Elucidating the mechanistic origins of Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) in CAR-T cell therapy"
Maria Ossa - Graduate Student
Feb 19, 2026 @ 12:30 p.m.
Medical Center | K307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Minsoo Kim, Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Understanding the BST2/SARS-CoV-2 Spike Interface: Implications for NF-κB Signaling"
Jesse Jenkins - Graduate Student
Feb 19, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Ruth Serra-Moreno, Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "BST2 — A possible cross-species barrier for bat coronaviruses"
Kei Brown - Graduate Student
Feb 12, 2026 @ 12:30 p.m.
Medical Center | K307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Ruth Serra-Moreno, Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Macrophage-Specific Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Defective Viral Genomes"
Leah Bernstein - Graduate Student
Feb 12, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Yan Sun, Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Identification of proteins that interact with vaccinia virus envelope protein F13"
Zhinian Zhou - Graduate Student
Feb 05, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K-307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Brian Ward, Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Defining CD8 T Cell Dysfunction in Acute Myeloid Leukemia to Identify Immunotherapeutic Targets"
Zhewen (Kevin) Li - Graduate Student
Jan 29, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisors: Benjamin J. Frisch, Ph.D. and Scott Gerber, Ph.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Role of innate immunity in farming lifestyle protection against allergic disease"
Sophie Troyer - Graduate Student
Jan 22, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K307 (3-6408)
Host: Kirsi Järvinen-Seppo, M.D., Ph.D - Advisor
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Identifying conserved changes withing the MDS associated Bone Marrow Microenvironment"
Adam Tyrlik - Graduate Stident
Jan 15, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Laura M. Calvi, M.D.
MBI 501 Student Seminar: "Determining the role of metabolism in antimicrobial resistance"
Zirui Zhao - Graduate Student
Jan 08, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K307 (3-6408)
Host: Advisor: Allison Lopatkin, Ph.D.
