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
Second Annual Infectious Disease and Immunity Symposium
Nov 02, 2026 @ 8:30 a.m.
School of Medicine and Dentistry | Class of '62 Auditorium
Pre-registration is required"Neutrophil in the center of thromboinflammation and inflammatory disease dissemination"
Denisa D. Wagner, Ph.D. - Edwin Cohn Professor of Pediatrics Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital Harvard Medical School
Oct 05, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | Upper Auditorium (3-7619)
Host: Tanya Mayadas, PhD
"Interplay between neutrophils and mucosal epithelial cells during inflammation and repair"
Charles Parkos, MD, PhD - Carl V. Weller Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Health
Sep 28, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | Upper Auditorium (3-7619)
Host: Gowrishankar Muthukrishnan, PhD
"More than first responders: why neutrophils matter"
Laiguan Ng, PhD - Shanghai Immune Therapy Institute Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Renji Hospital, Shanghai, China School of Medicine, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
Sep 25, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K207 (2-6408)
Host: Minsoo Kim, PhD
"Should I stay or should I go? Regulating T cell trafficking and differentiation" - Melville Hare Memorial Lecture
Stephen Jameson, PhD - Professor and Harry Kay Chair, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota
Sep 21, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | 3-7619 Upper Auditorium
Host: Immunology Students in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology
"Platelet-Monocyte Interactions in HIV-Associated Vascular Disease" - Thesis Defense
Zachary Boodoo - PhD Candidate
Sep 04, 2026 @ 1:00 p.m.
School of Medicine and Dentistry | Class of '62 Aud. (G-9425)
Hybrid EventHost: Advisor: Meera Singh, PhD
"Double-Stranded RNA Spatial Dysregulation and Innate Immune Activation by a SARS-CoV-2 Defective Viral Genome" - Thesis Defense
Justin W. Brennan - PhD Candidate
Jun 25, 2026 @ 2:00 p.m.
Medical Center | K207 (2-6408)
Hybrid Event - Passcode 857842Host: Advisor: Yan Sun, PhD
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.
The New Issue of Opportunities to Explore is Out Now!
Monday, September 28, 2026
Read the Sept 28-Oct 2, 2026 Issue
New graduate students begin their URochester journey
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
New Public Health master's students at the welcome session during Orientation
The School of Medicine & Dentistry welcomed 104 PhD, master’s, and advanced certificate trainees during orientation, marking the beginning of a new academic year.
Throughout orientation, students met classmates and faculty, connected with others in their programs, and learned more about the academic, professional, and personal support available to them at URochester.
“It’s not just about getting your degree. It’s about getting a career,” said Rick Libby, vice provost and University dean for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs, encouraging students to take advantage of opportunities that will prepare them for their lives beyond graduate school.
For Rachel Zelasky, a new master’s student in Public Health, Rochester offered the faculty support and connections she was seeking as she works toward a career in clinical research.
“At the graduate level, having that kind of strong support from professors is very valuable,” said Zelasky, who also earned her undergraduate degree in neuroscience from URochester in 2023.
That sense of support and community also helped attract Elefteria Vogiatzoglou to our Neuroscience PhD program. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, Vogiatzoglou said the collaborative environment stood out during the interview process.
“When I interviewed here and saw the community, it was the first thing that attracted me—how collaborative the department is,” she said. “A PhD is hard, and I need a community.”
For Archit Kothari, the opportunity to gain broad clinical experience within one academic medical center was another important draw. Kothari joined the master’s program in Genetic Counseling after moving from Queens, NY.
“We’re able to do the majority of our rotations within the medical center ecosystem,” Kothari said. “I feel like that makes it a lot easier and a lot more cohesive for the students.”
Nathan Smith, PhD, associate dean for research mentorship and associate professor of Neuroscience, reminded the incoming students that he had once been in their shoes as a Neuroscience graduate student here at URochester. His advice as they begin their own journeys was simple:
“Remember that you belong in this room.”
