Liz Roelofsz

Liz
Roelofsz
MHI and MPI Program Manager

Liz Roelofsz, is the program manager of the Microbe-Host Interactions Ph.D. Program and the Molecular Pathology & Immunology Ph.D. Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She obtained her MBA in 2016 and has a professional background in higher education. She previously worked for the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology and made the transition to MPI/MHI Program Manager to work more closely with the students.

(615) 322-2989
liz.roelofsz@vanderbilt.edu

George Xu

George
Xu
Graduate Student
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program
george.xu@vanderbilt.edu

Gabriel J Rodriguez

Gabriel
J
Rodriguez
Graduate Student
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program
gabriel.j.rodriguez@vanderbilt.edu

Megan M Erwin

Megan
M
Erwin
Graduate Student
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program
megan.m.erwin@vanderbilt.edu

Kaitlyn E Bunn

Kaitlyn
E
Bunn
Graduate Student
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program
kaitlyn.e.bunn@vanderbilt.edu

Elizabeth Brunner Wescott

Elizabeth
Brunner
Wescott
Graduate Student
Molecular Pathology & Immunology Graduate Program

Elizabeth (Brunner) Wescott is a graduate student, originally from many states as a Navy brat growing up, but she calls North Carolina her hometown. She completed her undergrad at Davidson College, where she did an honors thesis on mitochondrial membrane shaping in Drosophila, as well as a summer internship at Ohio State University investigating non-autonomous gene expression variance in the Ras pathway. She then took a job at Duke University as a research assistant. There, she transitioned to the field of immunology, studying HIV infection of kidney and HIV vaccine development. She started at Vanderbilt in August 2018 and joined the Balko Lab in April 2019. Outside the lab, she enjoys spending time outdoors hiking and hammocking with her husband, climbing, running, baking, playing music, and traveling.

I am interested in immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment and I'm studying the role of B7-H4 on tumor immune cell activation states to improve immunotherapy outcomes in breast cancer. I also study the mechanism and regulation of B7-H4 expression in breast cancer.

 

Publications on PubMed.gov

elizabeth.c.brunner@vanderbilt.edu

Michelle A Wiebe

Michelle
A
Wiebe
Graduate Student
Microbe-Host Interactions Graduate Program
michelle.a.wiebe@vanderbilt.edu

Timothy W Thoner

Timothy
W
Thoner
Graduate Student
Microbe-Host Interactions Graduate Program
timothy.w.thoner@vanderbilt.edu

Britton A Strickland

Britton
A
Strickland
Graduate Student
Microbe-Host Interactions Graduate Program
britton.a.strickland@vanderbilt.edu

Jeanette Miller, B.S.

Jeanette
M
Miller, B.S.
Graduate Student
Microbe-Host Interactions Graduate Program

Jeanette is from central Florida and earned her B.S. in advertising at the University of Florida before receiving her B.S. in microbiology from the University of South Florida. During her undergraduate, Jeanette's research focused on understanding the contribution of light pollution to disease dynamics in the lab of Dr. Lynn Martin. Now, in graduate school, Jeanette is in the lab of Dr. Eric Skaar. She devotes her research time to understanding the dynamic interplay between the vertebrate immune system and Acinetobacter baumannii in the sequestration of nutrient metals. In her free time, Jeanette greatly enjoys reading, hiking, and playing with her cat and dog.

615-343-8492
Eric Skaar Lab
A5104 MCN
1161 21st Ave South
Nashville
Tennessee
37232

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic human pathogen most notably associated with nosocomially-derived pneumonia and bacteremia. Due to multi-drug resistance, A. baumannii has few therapeutic options available thus emphasizing the need for novel drug development. The intrinsic importance of nutrient metals for all bacterial species indicates the potential for alternative therapeutic strategies targeting bacterial nutrient metal uptake systems. Calprotectin, a host defense protein, notably contributes to host nutrient metal pools by stripping pathogen metalloproteins, like zinc (Zn) through metal chelation in a process known as nutritional immunity. Understanding the dynamic interactions of host nutritional immunity and A. baumannii during infection may allow for the development of novel therapeutics targeting metal uptake.

jeanette.m.miller.1@vanderbilt.edu