The Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity holds regular seminars with invited speakers from outside the institution, as well as researchers from RUSH University.
2025-2026 academic year seminars schedule
Seminars are held in Cohn Research Building Auditorium Room 160 (1735 W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60612), unless noted otherwise.
| Date and Time | Speaker | Title/Topic |
|---|---|---|
| September 10, 2025 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Bethany E. Perez White, PhD (Host: Lena Al-Harthi, PhD) | “Playing the Organoid: Keys to Understanding Epidermal Biology” |
| September 17, 2025 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Liang Qiao, MD (Host: Xian-Ming Chen, PhD) | “Rational Design of Vaccines for Microbial Challenges” |
| September 24, 2025 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Alice Telesnitsky, PhD (Host: João Mamede, PhD) | “Recognition and Routing of HIV-1 RNAs” |
| October 1, 2025 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Jing Jin, MD, PhD (Host: Xiu-Ti Hu, MD, PhD) | “Autoimmune Kidney Diseases” |
| October 8, 2025 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Afam Okoye, PhD (Host: Jeff Schneider, PhD) | “Towards an HIV Cure: Strategies for post-ART Viral Control” |
| October 22, 2025 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Jonathan David Geiger, BA, MS, PhD (Host: Jennillee Wallace, PhD) | “Role of Endolysosome Iron and the Reactive Species Interactome in Neurodegenerative Disease Pathogenesis and Pharmacotherapeutics” |
| October 29, 2025 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Vineet Joag, PhD (Host: Jeff Schneider, PhD) | “Primate Resident Memory T Cells Activate Humoral and Stromal Immunity” |
| November 5, 2025 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Rebecca Veenhuis, PhD (Host: Jennillee Wallace, PhD) | “Redefining HIV Persistence: The Role of Macrophages as a Latent Reservoir” |
| November 12, 2025 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Benjamin K. Chen, MD, PhD (Host: João Mamede, PhD) | “Genetic Models to Reveal the HIV-1 Latent Reservoir” |
| December 3, 2025 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen, PhD (Host: Jeff Schneider, PhD) | “Targeting Glyco-Immune Checkpoints in Cancer and Infection” |
| December 10, 2025 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Stephanie Shiau, PhD, MPH (Host: Ryan Ross, PhD) | “Aging with HIV and Comorbidities Across the Lifespan: Clues from the Epigenome” |
| January 28, 2026 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Sangram S. Sisodia, PhD (Host: Lena Al-Harthi, PhD) | “Gut-Brain Axis in AD” |
| March 4, 2026 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Kiera Clayton, PhD (Host: Edward Barker, PhD) | “NK Cells Response to HIV-Infected Macrophages” |
| April 1, 2026 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | John Koethe, MD, MSCI (Host: Ryan Ross, PhD) | “Adipose Tissue Dysfunction Due to HIV and ART” |
| April 8, 2026 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Jeannette Tenthorey, PhD (Host: Edward Barker, PhD) | "Innate Immune Factors in Virus Infections" |
| May 6, 2026 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Peter Belenky, PhD Associate Professor, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Brown University Providence, RI | "TBA" |
| May 13, 2026 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Hazem Ghoneim, PhD (Host: Lena Al-Harthi, PhD) | "TBA" |
| May 27, 2026 Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Huiping Liu, MD, PhD (Host: Lena Al-Harthi, PhD) | "TBA" |
Please contact the department at (312) 942-6383 or our seminar coordinator, Edward Barker, PhD, for additional information.
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Past seminars