Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity

PhD in Integrated Biomedical Science

Our PhD program prepares you to be an outstanding research scientist. Learn more.

Faculty and Staff

Meet our department’s faculty and staff.

Research

Learn more about our department’s research.

Seminar Series

Learn more about the Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity seminars.

Media Coverage

See the latest press coverage of our research.

Our leading-edge research focuses on translational laboratory programs in HIV immunology and virology, host pathogen interaction, microbiome studies and tumor immunology.

Learn more about the Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity

Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity in the News

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Faculty Accomplishments

Lena Al-Harthi, PhD, Receives R56 Research Award

Lena Al-Harthi, PhD, Vice Dean of Research, Head of the Division of Translational Science and Chair of Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush Medical College has recently received a NIH 2024 Office of Autoimmune Disease Research R56 research award. R56 awards support short-term, highly meritorious extramural research that falls just outside the funding limits of participating NIH institutes and centers. Congratulations! Read More About the Award.

Faculty News

Lena Al-Harthi, PhD, Named RUSH Medical College Acting Vice Dean for Research

Lena Al-Harthi, PhD has accepted the vice dean for research role in an acting capacity. The transitions were effective Feb. 1, 2024. Read more…

Faculty News

Graduate College Programs To Transition To RUSH Medical College

Lena Al-Harthi, PhD will lead the transition of these graduate programs into the division of translational science. Read more…

David Williams, PhD

Faculty Accomplishments

Congratulations to David Williams, PhD

Congratulations to Dr. David Williams and his team on the acceptance of their manuscript to the prestigious Nature Communication journal. Title of their work is “Non-covalent inhibitors of thioredoxin glutathione reductase with Schistomicidal activity in vivo”. Dr. Williams has been at the forefront of drug development against this parasite! Well done!

Faculty News

Antibody Properties in Plasma Can Predict COVID-19 Severity

A recent study by Jeffrey Schneider, PhD and researchers at Rush University and Northwestern University. Read more…
The results of the study were recently published in Cell Reports. You can learn more about the study here.

Faculty News

T-Cells Help HIV Enter and Persist in the Brain

Research highlight featuring the study by Lena Al-Harthi, PhD is posted on the NIMH website. Read more…

Faculty News

Test Tube to Bedside: The RUSH Way

Rush News article “Test Tube to Bedside: The RUSH Way” by Lena Al-Harthi, PhD. Read more…

Summer Internship Program with British International High School

Department News

Summer Internship Program with British International School of Chicago-South Loop

Rising seniors from the British International School of Chicago-South Loop (BISC-SL) completed a research internship at Rush University, organized by MPI. The students also participated in several activities to learn about the career paths of biomedical scientists. A special thank you to the laboratories of Dr. Dino Samartzis, Dr. Ryan Ross, Dr. Robin Pourzal, Dr. Xiu-Ti Hu, Dr. Edward Barker, Dr. Hannah Lundberg, and Dr. Lena Al-Harthi for hosting them and facilitating their learning experience.
See more photos of BISC-SL students working in the lab of Dr. Al-Harthi here.

Faculty Accomplishments

RUSH Researchers Studying 'Breakthrough' COVID-19

Jeffrey Schneider PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity and Jeffrey Borgia PhD, associate professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology have received a $1.4 million grant to study "breakthrough" infections of COVID-19 in vaccinated people who have received booster shots. Read more...

Faculty News

Scientists begin to unravel the mysteries of the coronavirus and brains

Dr. Lena Al-Harthi was quoted in this Washington Post article. Read more… [PDF]

Faculty Accomplishments

HIV infects astrocytes in vivo and egresses from the brain to the periphery

An article published in PLOS Pathogens by Dr. Al-Harthi and others with the media coverage.

Faculty Accomplishments

Brain Cells Can Spread HIV

HIV can reside in brain cells, and the AIDS-causing virus can spread from the brain to the body, even if it’s been suppressed by antiretroviral therapy, according to a study by Lena Al-Harthi, PhD, chairperson of the Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity and an immunology expert. Read more...

Dr. Al-Harthi articles in the press and media coverage highlight her recent work. Read more...

Faculty News

ICUs become a 'delirium factory' for Covid-19 patients - CNN

Dr. Lena Al-Harthi was interviewed by CNN.

Research News

Lab Re-Entry Materials

Faculty Accomplishments

"A batty solution? The potential vaccine for future outbreaks" MPI expert opinion on vaccination relevant to COVID-19

Kudos to one of our own, Edward Barker, PhD, for publishing an opinion piece on preventing bat viruses from infecting the human population! As you recall, Dr. Barker was selected to the Public Voices fellow program through the OpEd project championed by the President's Office.

Bats transmitted the three coronaviruses causing epidemics/pandemics in the last decade (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-COV2). Targetting vaccinating them against their own viruses could stop transmission the human population! Read more...

Faculty Accomplishments

Lena Al-Harthi, PhD, Receives R56 Research Award

Lena Al-Harthi, PhD, Vice Dean of Research, Head of the Division of Translational Science and Chair of Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush Medical College has recently received a NIH 2024 Office of Autoimmune Disease Research R56 research award. R56 awards support short-term, highly meritorious extramural research that falls just outside the funding limits of participating NIH institutes and centers. Congratulations! Read More About the Award.

Faculty News

Lena Al-Harthi, PhD, Named RUSH Medical College Acting Vice Dean for Research

Lena Al-Harthi, PhD has accepted the vice dean for research role in an acting capacity. The transitions were effective Feb. 1, 2024. Read more…

Faculty News

Graduate College Programs To Transition To RUSH Medical College

Lena Al-Harthi, PhD will lead the transition of these graduate programs into the division of translational science. Read more…

David Williams, PhD

Faculty Accomplishments

Congratulations to David Williams, PhD

Congratulations to Dr. David Williams and his team on the acceptance of their manuscript to the prestigious Nature Communication journal. Title of their work is “Non-covalent inhibitors of thioredoxin glutathione reductase with Schistomicidal activity in vivo”. Dr. Williams has been at the forefront of drug development against this parasite! Well done!

Faculty News

Antibody Properties in Plasma Can Predict COVID-19 Severity

A recent study by Jeffrey Schneider, PhD and researchers at Rush University and Northwestern University. Read more…
The results of the study were recently published in Cell Reports. You can learn more about the study here.

Faculty News

T-Cells Help HIV Enter and Persist in the Brain

Research highlight featuring the study by Lena Al-Harthi, PhD is posted on the NIMH website. Read more…

Faculty News

Test Tube to Bedside: The RUSH Way

Rush News article “Test Tube to Bedside: The RUSH Way” by Lena Al-Harthi, PhD. Read more…

Department News

Summer Internship Program with British International School of Chicago-South Loop

Rising seniors from the British International School of Chicago-South Loop (BISC-SL) completed a research internship at Rush University, organized by MPI. The students also participated in several activities to learn about the career paths of biomedical scientists. A special thank you to the laboratories of Dr. Dino Samartzis, Dr. Ryan Ross, Dr. Robin Pourzal, Dr. Xiu-Ti Hu, Dr. Edward Barker, Dr. Hannah Lundberg, and Dr. Lena Al-Harthi for hosting them and facilitating their learning experience.
See more photos of BISC-SL students working in the lab of Dr. Al-Harthi here.

Faculty Accomplishments

RUSH Researchers Studying 'Breakthrough' COVID-19

Jeffrey Schneider PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity and Jeffrey Borgia PhD, associate professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology have received a $1.4 million grant to study "breakthrough" infections of COVID-19 in vaccinated people who have received booster shots. Read more...

Faculty News

Scientists begin to unravel the mysteries of the coronavirus and brains

Dr. Lena Al-Harthi was quoted in this Washington Post article. Read more… [PDF]

Faculty Accomplishments

HIV infects astrocytes in vivo and egresses from the brain to the periphery

An article published in PLOS Pathogens by Dr. Al-Harthi and others with the media coverage.

Faculty Accomplishments

Brain Cells Can Spread HIV

HIV can reside in brain cells, and the AIDS-causing virus can spread from the brain to the body, even if it’s been suppressed by antiretroviral therapy, according to a study by Lena Al-Harthi, PhD, chairperson of the Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity and an immunology expert. Read more...

Dr. Al-Harthi articles in the press and media coverage highlight her recent work. Read more...

Faculty News

ICUs become a 'delirium factory' for Covid-19 patients - CNN

Dr. Lena Al-Harthi was interviewed by CNN.

Research News

Lab Re-Entry Materials

Faculty Accomplishments

"A batty solution? The potential vaccine for future outbreaks" MPI expert opinion on vaccination relevant to COVID-19

Kudos to one of our own, Edward Barker, PhD, for publishing an opinion piece on preventing bat viruses from infecting the human population! As you recall, Dr. Barker was selected to the Public Voices fellow program through the OpEd project championed by the President's Office.

Bats transmitted the three coronaviruses causing epidemics/pandemics in the last decade (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-COV2). Targetting vaccinating them against their own viruses could stop transmission the human population! Read more...

Faculty Accomplishments

2019 HENAAC Award Winners

Giselle Sandi, PhD has been selected by Great Minds in STEM to receive the 2019 Hispanic Engineer National Achievement award for education. This prestigious award honors Giselle’s life-long commitment to promote STEM education for under-represented minority groups. Her efforts have had a sustained regional and national impact for STEM education at all levels from elementary to higher level education. She will receive this prestigious award at the upcoming Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC).