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Seminar Series

The Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity holds regular seminars with invited speakers from outside the institution, as well as researchers from RUSH University.

2023-2024 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

September 13, 2023
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Vinayaka R. Prasad, PhD
Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

(Host: Lena Al-Harthi, PhD)

"Molecular mechanisms underlying the global dominance of subtype C HIV-1"

September 20, 2023
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Steven Graves, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology
University of Minnesota

(Host: Xiu-Ti Hu, MD, PhD)

“TBA”

October 11, 2023
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Abhijit Date, PhD, MPharm.Sc
Assistant Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of Arizona

(Host: Jennillee Wallace, PhD)

“TBA”

October 18, 2023
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

L. David Sibley, PhD
Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Molecular Microbiology, School of Medicine
Washington University in St. Louis

(Host: Xian-Ming Chen, PhD)

“TBA”
November 1, 2023
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Velpandi Ayyavoo, PhD
Professor
Graduate Programs Director, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
University of Pittsburgh

(Host: Michelle Ash)

“TBA”

November 8, 2023
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Lishomwa (Lish) Ndhlovu, MD, PhD
Professor of Immunology in Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases

(Host: Lena Al-Harthi, PhD)

“TBA”

November 15, 2023
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Michael Nonnemacher, PhD
Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Drexel University College of Medicine

(Host: Lena Al-Harthi, PhD)

“TBA”

November 29, 2023
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Boris Striepen, PhD
Mark Whittier and Lila Griswold Allam Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Professor, Pathobiology
University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine

(Host: Xian-Ming Chen, PhD)

“TBA”

January 17, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Jueqi Chen, PhD
Assistant Professor of Microbiology
University of Chicago

(Host: Lena Al-Harthi, PhD)

“SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a constructs dynamic giant vesicles to facilitate viral transmission”
February 7, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Smita S. Iyer, MS, PhD
Associate Professor of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology
University of Pittsburgh

(Host: Jeff Schneider, PhD)

“HIV Associated Neuroinflammation: The Role of CD4 T Cells”

February 14, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Benjamin E. Gewurz, MD, PhD
Associate Program Head, PhD Program in Virology
Associate Professor of Medicine
Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School

(Host: Lena Al-Harthi, PhD)

“TBA”
February 21, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Liang Shan, PhD
Associate Professor in Medicine and of Pathology & Immunology
Washington University in St. Louis

(Host: Michelle Ash)

“TBA”
March 6, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Vernon Carruthers, PhD
Associate Chair and Professor
Microbiology and Immunology
University of Michigan

(Host: Xian-Ming Chen, PhD)

“Taking a page out of HIV-1's playbook: how the AIDS-associated pathogen Toxoplasma gondii exploits host ESCRT machinery during infection”
March 27, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Ashwanth Francis, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Science
Florida State University

(Host: João Mamede, PhD)

“TBA”
April 3, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Menelaos Symeonides, PhD
Faculty Scientist
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
University of Vermont

(Host: João Mamede, PhD)

“TBA”
April 10, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Jonathan S. Marchant, MA, PhD
Marcus Professor & Chair
Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy
Medical College of Wisconsin

(Host: David L. Williams, PhD)

“TBA”

April 17, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Ming Xu, PhD
Professor
Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care
The University of Chicago

(Host: Xiu-Ti Hu, MD, PhD)

“TBA”

April 24, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Mostafa Zamanian, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Pathobiological Sciences
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of Wisconsin-Madison

(Host: David L. Williams, PhD)

“TBA”

May 1, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Mathias Lichterfeld, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School

(Host: João Mamede, PhD)

“TBA”

May 15, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Kurt F. Hauser, PhD
Professor
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Virginia Commonwealth University

(Host: Xiu-Ti Hu, MD, PhD)

“TBA”

May 22, 2024
Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Daniele Provenzano, PhD
Professor
Department of Biology
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

(Host: Stephanie Gambut)

“TBA”

Please call the department at (312) 942-2442 or email our seminar coordinator, Hannah Barbian, for additional information.