Pathology

Microbe-host interactions Specifically microbial pathogenesis Concomitant immune response with respect to host age

Magdalene So, PhD, is a Professor in the Immunobiology Department and Director of the Microbial Pathogenesis Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Dr. So is recognized internationally for her research in the microbial pathogenesis. Her research focuses on two medically important bacterial pathogens: Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which causes over 100 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections each year worldwide, and Neisseria meiningitidis, which frequently causes meningitis epidemics in Subharan Africa. Her goal is to understand on how these two pathogens cause disease, with the aim of applying this information to developing new antibiotics for treating these infectious agents and improving current methods of vaccine development. Dr. So recently expanded her research to the commensal species in the Neisseria genus. These bacteria are normal inhabitants of the body and are closely related to the two pathogenic species; but unlike their pathogenic cousins they do not cause disease. Dr. So’s new research effort seeks to determine the differences in behavior of commensal and pathogen Neisseria. Dr. So’s research approach is multidisciplinary, involving concepts and techniques in biophysics, bioinformatics, cell biology, biochemistry and genetics. Collaborators from institutions around the world contribute to this effort. Dr. So has published over 100 peer-reviewed research papers in internationally renowned journals, and over 20 reviews and book chapters. She holds several patents as a result of her research. She is frequently invited to speak at universities and national and international meetings. She is a member of the American Academy of Microbiology, an elected body, and serves on the scientific boards of several research centers. Over the course of her career, Dr. So has trained over 44 postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. The majority of her trainees are internationally recognized researchers in their own right. Keywords: Infectious disease, microbiology

Dr. Fernando D. Martinez is a Regents’ Professor and Director of the Asthma & Airway Disease Research Center at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Dr. Martinez is a world-renowned expert, and one of the most highly regarded researchers, in the field of childhood asthma. His primary research interests are the natural history, genetics, and treatment of childhood asthma. His groundbreaking research has had an impact on his field in numerous ways, most prominent among them the development of the concept of the early origins of asthma and COPD. This concept is now widely accepted as the potential basis for the design of new strategies for the prevention of these devastating illnesses affecting millions of children and adults worldwide. In addition, Dr. Martinez has made important contributions to our understanding of the role of gene-environment interactions in the development of asthma and allergies. He has also been the principal investigator of one of the Clinical Centers that are part of the NHLBI Asthma Treatment Networks, which have contributed fundamental new evidence on which to base national guidelines for the treatment of the disease. Dr. Martinez currently serves on national scientific boards including the NHLBI National Advisory Council and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. He was a member of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program that was responsible for the development of the Expert Panel Report: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma in 1997 and its first revision in 2001. He also has been a member of the FDA Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee and the Board of Extramural Advisors of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Dr. Martinez’s research and vision are well detailed in more than 250 original research papers and editorials, many in collaboration with investigators from all over the world. He is frequently invited to give keynote presentations at national and international meetings.

David Besselsen, DVM, PhD, is the Director of University Animal Care (UAC), the Attending Veterinarian. He is a board-certified veterinary specialist (Diplomate) in the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Pathology, and served as Interim Dean for the College of Veterinary Medicine from 2017-2019. In addition to his administrative and service responsibilities, Dr. Besselsen is actively engaged in research through the provision of comparative pathology support for rodent models and oversight of the gnotobiotic mouse service. He has directed UAC Pathology Services since his arrival in 1995 and has over 80 peer-reviewed publications. UAC Pathology Services provides diagnostic and comparative pathology support for the research animals and research animal facilities at the University of Arizona. Capabilities include hematology, blood chemistry, necropsy, histologic preparation and interpretation, and others.

Parker Antin is Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine in the College of Medicine, Associate Vice President for Research for the Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Medicine, and Cooperative Extension, and Associate Dean for Research in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. In his positions of Associate Vice President and Associate Dean, he is responsible for developing and implementing the research vision for the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine, with total research expenditures of approximately $65M per year. His responsibilities include oversight of research strategy and portfolio investment, grants and contracts pre award services, research intensive faculty hires and retentions, research communication and marketing, research facilities, and research compliance services. In collaboration with Division and College leadership teams, he has shared responsibilities for philanthropy, budgets and information technology. Dr. Antin is a vertebrate developmental biologist whose research is concerned with the molecular mechanisms of embryonic development. His research has been supported by NIH, NSF, NASA, USDA, and the DOE, as well as several private foundations including the American Heart Association and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, He is the Principal Investigator of CyVerse, a $115M NSF funded cyberinfrastructure project whose mission is to design, deploy and expand a national cyberinfrastructure for life sciences research, and train scientists in its use (http://cyverse.org). With 65,000 users worldwide, CyVerse enables scientists to manage and store data and experiments, access high-performance computing, and share data and results with colleagues and the public. Dr. Antin is also active nationally in the areas of science policy and funding for science. He is a past President of the Federation of Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), an umbrella science policy and advocacy organization representing 32 scientific societies and 135,000 scientists. His continued work with FASEB, along with his duties as Associate Vice President and Associate Dean for Research, and CyVerse PI, brings him frequently to Washington, DC, where he advocates for support of science and science policy positions that enhance the scientific enterprise.