MHI Leadership

  • Christopher R. Aiken, Ph.D.

    MHI Program Director
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Biochemistry and molecular biology of HIV infection; Antiviral mechanisms

  • Liz Roelofsz

    MHI and MPI Program Manager

MHI Faculty

  • Christopher R. Aiken, Ph.D.

    MHI Program Director
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Biochemistry and molecular biology of HIV infection; Antiviral mechanisms

  • Holly M. Algood, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Medicine
    Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Immune response to Helicobacter pylori

  • David Aronoff, M.D.

    Director, Division of Infectious Diseases
    Addison B. Scoville Jr. Chair in Medicine
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Professor of Medicine

    Mechanisms of bacterial immune evasion in the female reproductive tract

  • Manuel Ascano, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Post-transcriptional gene regulation in innate immunity and cellular stress

  • Thomas M. Aune, Ph.D.

    Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology & Immunology
    Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology

    Functional genomic and epigenetic approaches to understand gene regulation

  • Joey V. Barnett, Ph.D.

    Professor of Pharmacology
    Professor of Medicine
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Professor of Pediatrics

    Cardiac function, Developmental biology, Heart, Kinase, Knockout, Molecular medicine, Pharmacology, Phosphorylation, Physiology, Receptor, Signal transduction, Vascular Biology, Pulmonary hypertension

  • Julie A. Bastarache, M.D.

    Assistant Professor of Medicine
    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Translational research in acute lung injury and sepsis focusing on molecular mechanisms, tissue factor, coagulation cascade, cell-free hemoglobin and gender

  • Mark R. Boothby, M.D., Ph.D.

    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Professor of Medicine

    Understanding signal transduction and transcription regulation mechanisms that control our immunity against microbes - or lead to autoimmunity or cancer when the balance goes awry

  • Seth R. Bordenstein, Ph.D.

    Associate Director, Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation (VI4)
    Centennial Professor of Biological Sciences
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Director, Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative

    Evolutionary genomics of animal microbe interactions 

  • James E. Cassat, M.D., Ph.D.

    Associate Director, Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation (VI4)
    Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
    Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Interaction between host and pathogen during invasive bacterial infections

  • Leslie J. Crofford, M.D.

    Director, Division of Rheumatology & Immunology
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Professor of Medicine
    Wilson Family Chair in Medicine

    Innate and acquired immunity in inflammatory arthritis, myositis, scleroderma, fibromyalgia, pain

  • Timothy L. Cover, M.D.

    Professor of Medicine
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Bacteria-host interactions, bacterial toxins, Helicobacter pylori, and gastric cancer

  • James E. Crowe, Jr., M.D.

    Director, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center
    Professor of Pediatrics
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Ann Scott Carell Chair

    Human B cell and antibody responses to infections

  • Suman Ranjan Das, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor of Medicine

    Virus-host microbiome interactions and viral diseases modeling

  • Mark R. Denison, M.D.

    Professor of Pediatrics
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Craig-Weaver Chair in Pediatics

    Replication, cell biology, and pathogenesis of coronaviruses; emerging viruses in biodefense

  • Wonder Puryear Drake, M.D.

    Professor of Medicine
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    The molecular biology and immunopathogenesis of chronic inflammatory states, particularly sarcoidosis

  • Agnes B. Fogo, M.D.

    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Professor of Medicine
    John L. Shapiro Chair of Pathology
    Professor of Pediatrics

    Progression of kidney disease crosstalk PAI-1 regression of sclerosis podocytes regeneration stem cells

  • David Gailani, M.D.

    Professor of Pathology & Microbiology & Immunology
    Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology Oncology
    Ernest W. Goodpasture Chair in Experimental Pathology for Translational Research

    Biochemistry, Enzyme action, Gene regulation, Knockout, Mouse, Polymorphism, Protein structure

  • Ivelin S. Georgiev, Ph.D.

    Associate Director, Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation (VI4)
    Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Associate Professor of Computer Science

    Computational immunology and virology

  • Maria Hadjifrangiskou, Ph.D.

    Associate Director, Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation (VI4)
    Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Associate Professor in Urologic Surgery

    Biofilm formation by uropathogenic E. coli, Virulence mechanisms of bacteria causing urinary tract infections

  • Jonathan M. Irish, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology
    Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Scientific Director, Cancer & Immunology Core
    Scientific Director, Mass Cytometry Center of Excellence

    Cancer, Precision Medicine, Computational Biology, Machine Learning, Cell Signaling, Chemical Biology, Single Cell Tools

  • W. Gray Jerome, III, Ph.D.

    MPI Director
    Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Associate Professor of Cancer Biology

    Atherosclerosis, Lipid, Cholesterol, Macrophage

  • Sebastian Joyce, Ph.D.

    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Dorothy B. and Theodore R. Austin Chair in Pathology

    Antigen presentation and recognition by immune cells

  • Spyros A. Kalams, M.D.

    Associate Professor of Medicine, Adult Infectious Disease
    Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Cellular immune responses directed against viral and bacterial pathogens; therapeutic immunization, HIV vaccines

  • John Karijolich, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Assistant Professor of Biochemistry

    Host-virus interactions in gamma herpesvirus infection

  • Borden Lacy, Ph.D.

    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Professor of Biochemistry
    Edward and Nancy Fody Chair in Pathology

    Structures and molecular mechanisms of bacterial toxins

  • Deborah A. Lannigan, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Associate Professor of Cancer Biology
    Associate Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology

    Signaling pathways involved in mammary gland homeostasis and breast cancer

  • Andrew J. Link, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
    Associate Professor of Chemistry

    Applications of proteomics in biology and medicine

  • Amy S. Major, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor, Dept of Medicine/Div of Cardiovascular Medicine
    Associate Professor, Dept of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Immunological mechanisms of autoimmunity in atherosclerosis

  • Simon A. Mallal, M.B.B.S., F.R.A.C.P., F.R.C.P.A.

    Director, Vanderbilt Center for Translational and Clinical Immunology
    Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease
    Major E.B. Stahlman Chair in Infectious Diseases and Inflammation
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology

    Immunometabolism & Metabolic Diseases, Tumor Biology & Tumor Immunology

  • Oliver G. McDonald, Ph.D., M.D.

    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Cancer, Metabolism, Epigenetics, Chromatin

  • Daniel J. Moore, Ph.D., M.D.

    Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Immune regulation in autoimmunity and transplantation

  • Claudio A. Mosse, M.D., Ph.D.

    Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Hematopathology, Vascular Disease & Renal Pathology, Tumor Biology & Tumor Immunology

  • Dawn C. Newcomb, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Medicine
    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Role of sex hormones in inflammation in asthma

  • Michael James Noto, M.D., Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Medicine
    Division of Allergy, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine
    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Innate immune responses to bacterial pathogens in the lung

  • Kristen M. Ogden, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Tropism and adaptation of segmented, double-stranded RNA viruses

  • Kevin G. Osteen, Ph.D.

    Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
    Pierre Soupart Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Adjunct Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Meharry Medical College

    Reproductive Medicine, Endometrial Dysfunction, Endometriosis, Environmental Endocrine Disruptors

  • Stokes Peebles, M.D.

    Professor of Medicine
    Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
    Elizabeth and John Murray Chair in Medicine
    Training Program Director, Allergy Immunology Fellowship Program
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Allergically-mediated and virally-induced lung inflammation

  • Richard Peek, M.D.

    Director, Division of Gastroenterology
    Professor of Medicine
    Mina Cobb Wallace Chair in Immunology
    Professor of Cancer Biology
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer

  • Mary Philip, M.D., Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Medicine
    Division of Hematology/Oncology
    Assisant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Hematology, Cancer Immunology, T cells, Epigenetics, Autoimmunity, Differentiation

  • Elizabeth J. Phillips, M.D.

    John A. Oates Chair in Clinical Research
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Professor of Pharmacology
    Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases

    HIV, Drug Safety, Pharmacology, Personalized Medicine, Drug Hypersensitivity, HLA, Immunopathogenesis, Severe H1N109 Disease

  • Heather Pua, M.D., Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Lung, miRNA, exRNA (extracellular RNA), Extracellular Vesicles, Allergy, Asthma, Th2

  • Jeffrey C. Rathmell, Ph.D.

    MPI Associate Director
    Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Immunobiology
    Director, Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology

    T cell metabolism in inflammation and anti-tumor immunity

  • Louise A. Rollins-Smith, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Associate Professor of Pediatrics

    Amphibian immune defenses against an ancient fungal pathogen

  • H. Earl Ruley, Ph.D.

    Professor, Emeritus, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Genetic analysis of growth control and development

  • Jonathan E. Schmitz, Ph.D., M.D.

    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Opportunistic pathogens, Microbe-microbe interactions, Personalized microbiology

  • Jonathan G. Schoenecker, Ph.D., M.D.

    Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
    Jeffrey W. Mast Chair in Orthopaedics Trauma and Hip Surgery
    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
    Assistant Professor of Pharmacology

    The role of Coagulation in Normal and Pathologic Orthopaedic Related Wounds

  • Adam C. Seegmiller, M.D., Ph.D.

    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Vice Chair for Clinical Pathology and Clinical Affairs
    Executive Medical Director, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Clinical Service Center

    Lipids, Metabolism, Cystic fibrosis, Hematopathology, Flow cytometry, Hematologic malignancy, Leukemia, Lymphoma

  • Carlos Henrique Serezani, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Medicine
    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Understanding host defense in pre-existing inflammatory conditions 

  • Edward R. Sherwood, Ph.D., M.D.

    Corneilius Vanderbilt Chair in Anesthesiology
    Professor of Anesthesiology
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Mechanisms of sepsis-induced systemic inflammation and organ injury with emphasis on the roles of natural killer (NK) and T lymphocytes

  • Eric P. Skaar, Ph.D., M.P.H.

    Director, Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation (VI4)
    Director, Division of Molecular Pathogenesis
    Ernest W. Goodpasture Chair in Pathology
    Vice Chair for Research, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Factors and processes involved in the battle for metal between bacterial pathogens and their hosts 

  • Scott Alan Smith, M.D., Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Medicine
    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Dengue Virus, Vaccines, Immunology, Viral Pathogenesis

  • Benjamin W. Spiller, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor of Pharmacology
    Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Structural Biology of virulence factors, host-pathogen relationship, and cytoskeletal regulation

  • Thomas P. Stricker, M.D., Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Director, CALDx-Center for Advanced lab Diagnostics

    Cancer, breast cancer, genomics, ChIP-seq, RNAseq, Mutations, chromatin, transcription, epigenetics

  • Larry L. Swift, Ph.D.

    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs

    Lipoprotein Assembly, Lipid Droplet Formation, Adipocyte Biology

  • James W. Thomas II, M.D.

    Professor of Medicine
    Division of Rheumatology & Immunology
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Mechanisms that regulate immune tolerance and why they fail in autoimmune disorders such at type 1 diabetes

  • Luc Van Kaer, Ph.D.

    Elizabeth and John Shapiro Chair
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Role of innate-type regulatory lymphocytes in health and chronic inflammatory diseases

  • Ingrid M. Verhamme, Ph.D.

    Research Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Mechanisms important in thrombin localization, inhibitory and substrate serpin recognition, and regulation of serpin-mediated inactivation of fibrin-bound thrombin

  • Jeanne M. Wallace, D.V.M., DACLAM

    Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research
    Director, Division of Animal Care
    Associate Professor
    Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Associate Professor
    Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

    Diseases of nonhuman primates, Animal models of obesity and metabolic syndrome

  • Lorraine B. Ware, M.D.

    Professor of Medicine
    Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Director, Medical Scholars Program

    Acute lung injury, ARDS, Pulmonary edema, Acute respiratory failure, Sepsis, Coagulation, Fibrinolysis, Biomarker, Proteomics, Lung transplantation

  • Mary Kay Washington, M.D., Ph.D.

    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Histopathology of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases and mouse models of GI cancer

  • Alissa M. Weaver, M.D., Ph.D.

    Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology
    Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Cancer invasion, Membrane trafficking, Cytoskeleton, Systems biology, Secreted exosomes, Extracellular RNA

  • Vivian Lee Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

    Molecular and immunologic mechanisms of thyroid cancer invasion and metastasis

  • Keith T. Wilson, M.D.

    Thomas F. Frist Sr. Chair in Medicine
    Professor of Medicine
    Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
    Professor of Medicine Professor of Cancer Biology
    Director, Center for Mucosal Inflammation and Cancer

    Host immune response to the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori