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Microbiology and Immunology News

Semi-Annual Notable News

Spring 2025

Faculty Promotions

Drs. Cheryl Day, Jacob Kohlmeier, and Shonna McBride were promoted to Professors of Microbiology and Immunology in the Emory School of Medicine effective September 1, 2025.

Cheryl Day, PhD

Research in the Day lab is based on characterization of cellular immune responses in pediatric and adult populations affected by TB and HIV. Specific research areas include 1) evaluating cellular immune correlates of protection against TB infection and disease; 2) determining the impact of HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy on TB-specific cellular immunity; 3) evaluating immune system development and vaccine-specific cellular and humoral immune responses in infants and children with and without HIV exposure; and 4) measuring immunological outcomes in clinical trials evaluating novel TB vaccines, TB treatment regimens, and therapeutic approaches for HIV cure.

Jacob Kohlmeier, PhD

The primary focus of the Kohlmeier lab is to define the mechanisms that regulate the development of T cell memory and cellular immunity in the respiratory tract, with a view toward translating these findings into potential therapies and vaccines for humans.  Using both animal models and human samples, we are applying our background in pulmonary immunity, cell trafficking, and the development of T cell memory following respiratory infections, to the investigation of tissue-resident memory T cells (lung TRM). In particular, we have focused on defining the cellular and molecular requirements for the establishment, maintenance, and recall of respiratory tract TRM following viral infections, with an emphasis on delineating these requirements between TRM in the lung interstitium, airways, and nasal cavity to better understand the impact of these unique environments on TRM biology. Recently, we are also focused on defining the effector mechanisms and cellular interactions that enable CD8+ TRM to protect against respiratory virus transmission with a focus on the improving vaccines against respiratory pathogens.

Jacob Kohlmeier, PhD

Shonna McBride, PhD

Research in the McBride lab centers on the emerging pathogen, Clostridium difficile. C. difficile is an spore-forming and toxin-producing bacterium that causes chronic intestinal disease which is both difficult and costly to treat. The two main factors that contribute to C. difficile infections are the ability of the bacterium to form resilient spores that allow the pathogen to spread, and the inherent resistance of the bacterium to antimicrobials. Current research topics in the lab include characterizing the genetic pathways that control spore formation and identifying the regulatory mechanisms that link metabolism and sporulation.

Shonna McBride, PhD

Research Updates

Ammar Zafar, PhD

The Zafar Lab

Microbiology and Immunology welcomed Ammar Zafar, PhD, who joined the department as Associate Professor on February 1, 2025.

Dr. M. Ammar Zafar, formerly of Wake Forest School of Medicine, joined Emory University School of Medicine as an Associate Professor in February 2025. His PhD (University of Maryland Baltimore County) and postdoctoral training (Princeton University) focused on bacterial stress responses. He later shifted his emphasis to bacterial pathogenesis and completed his research training at NYU School of Medicine. There, his studies concentrated on the strategies that Streptococcus pneumoniae, a pathogen responsible for infections primarily in young and older adults, employs to colonize and transmit between hosts. His work at NYU led to the development of an animal model for studying pneumococcal colonization and transmission, as well as the identification of specific factors S. pneumoniae requires for its transmission.

As an independent investigator, Dr. Zafar's research group focuses on two medically significant bacterial pathogens: Klebsiella pneumoniae with a continued interest in Streptococcus pneumoniae. He has also developed a murine model to study the colonization and transmission of K. pneumoniae. Dr. Zafar has published extensively on bacterial factors that modulate host responses to promote mucosal colonization and facilitate host-to-host transmission. Furthermore, his recent work has focused on how pathogens overcome microbiota-mediated colonization resistance. Dr. Zafar currently serves as an editorial board member for the American Society for Microbiology Journal Infection & Immunity, and on the scientific committee for the Mid-Atlantic Microbial Pathogenesis Meeting. His research employs a variety of methods, including bacterial genetics, small animal models, and molecular, biochemical, and genome-wide approaches.


Dr. Seema Lakdawala Discusses Bird Flu on Mayim Bialik's podcast, “Breakdown”

Seema Lakdawala, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, was interviewed by Mayim Bialik on her podcast, “Breakdown,” discussing the H5N1 virus is and how it spreads, if the bird flu will become a pandemic, the difference between avian influenza and the seasonal flu, the bird flu symptoms in humans, how bird flu is affecting chickens, ducks and cows, how infections in wild birds are causing the spread of the virus, and how you can best protect yourself from infection.

Day Lab

Cheryl Day, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, was elected as a member of the ACTG Executive Committee and elected as an immunologist on the ACTG Tuberculosis Transformative Science Group. 

ACTG is a global clinical trials network that conducts research to improve the management of HIV and its comorbidities; develop a cure for HIV; and innovate treatments for tuberculosis, hepatitis B, and emerging infectious diseases.


Jeremy Boss headshot

Boss Lab

Dr. Jeremy M. Boss, Professor and Chair of Microbiology and Immunology, was selected for the 2025 Dean’s Distinguished Faculty Lecture and Award. The Dean's Distinguished Faculty Lecture and Award is among the most prestigious and celebratory honors that the School of Medicine bestows on its faculty members. It carries not only the honor and title but also a financial award for the honoree. Faculty from throughout the school come together to honor the recipient and express appreciation for his or her contributions.

Dr. Boss gave his honorary lecture on "Transcriptional and Epigenetic Regulation of Immunity," April 16th.


Events

27th Annual Dr. John K. Spitznagel Seminar

Microbiology and Immunology held its 27th annual Dr. John K. Spitznagel Seminar April 2025. David Underhill, PhD, spoke on, "Phagocytosis, new technologies, receptors and surprises." Dr. Underhill is Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai.

 

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Igor Stojiljkovic, MD, PhD, Memorial Lecture

Microbiology and Immunology held its Igor Stojiljkovic, MD, PhD, Memorial Lecture, April 2025. JC Gumbart, PhD, spoke on, "An atomic-scale view into the weird world of the bacterial cell envelope," Dr. Gumbart is Professor in the School of Physics at Georgia Institute of Technology.

 

 

 

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Trainees and Fellows

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Neufeldt and Lowen Labs

Jonathan Owen (MMG student, Neufeldt lab) and Nahara Vargas Maldonado (IMP student, Lowen lab) were the winner and runner-up of the 2025 Laney Graduate School’s Three Minute Thesis competition. Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic competition developed by The University of Queensland Australia in which PhD candidates explain their research to a non-specialist audience in three minutes or less.


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Lakdawala Lab

 

Gracie Quirk, PhD, (postdoc, Lakdawala lab) was selected for the Emory Vaccinology Training Program (VTP) T32.