Autoimmunity and Inflammation Researchers

The immune system must balance the maintenance of a capacity to eliminate an infinite array of pathogens with the necessity to not induce an immune response against oneself.  Insufficient or excessive immune responses can lead to immune deficiencies, autoimmunity, or inflammatory syndromes.  VCI members are exploring the cellular and genetic basis for these immune dysregulation disorders to better understand basic immunology and mechanisms of inflammation.

Matthew R. Alexander, Ph.D., M.D.

Matthew R. Alexander, Ph.D., M.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Assistant Professor of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics

Immunology, Hypertension, Vascular Biology, Inflammation, Microvasculature 

 

Holly Algood, Ph.D.

Holly Algood, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Immune response to Helicobacter pylori

 

Manuel Ascano, Ph.D.

Manuel Ascano, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Post-transcriptional gene regulation in innate immunity and cellular stress

 

Justin M. Balko, Pharm D., Ph.D.

Justin M. Balko, Pharm.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Translational cancer research focused on molecular therapeutics, onco-immunology & bioinformatics

 

Rachel Bonami, Ph.D.

Rachel Bonami, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology

B cell, T cell, Autoimmunity, Type 1 Diabetes, Myositis, Sjogren's Syndrome, Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-induced Autoimmunity

 

Mark Boothby, M.D., Ph.D.

Mark R. Boothby, M.D., Ph. D.

Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Professor of Medicine

Signal transduction, transcription regulation mechanisms

 

Katherine Cahill, M.D.

Katherine Cahill, M.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Aspirin-exacerbated Respiratory Disease (AERD), Adult-onset Asthma, NSAID drug allergy, Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps,  Eicosanoid Biology, Cells and Mediators of Allergic Inflammation

 

Sung Hoon Cho, Ph.D.

Sung Hoon Cho, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Immune response, cellular metabolism & tumor progression

 

Jim Connelly, M.D.

Jim Connelly, M.D.

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Primary Immune Deficiency, Bone Marrow Failure, Neutropenia, Sickle Cell Disease

 

Timothy L. Cover, M.D.

Timothy Cover, M.D.

Professor of Medicine

Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Bacteria-host interactions, bacterial toxins, helicobacter pylori, and gastric cancer

Leslie J. Crofford, M.D.

Leslie Crofford, M.D.

Professor of Medicine

Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Director, Division of Rheumatology & Immunology

Wilson Family Chair in Medicine

Innate and acquired immunity in inflammatory arthritis, myositis, scleroderma, fibromyalgia, pain

 

Amanda Doran, M.D., Ph.D.

Amanda Doran, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine 

Assistant Professor of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Cholesterol, Lipids, Familial Hypercholesterolemia, Statin Intolerance

 

Craig L. Duvall, Ph.D.

Craig Duvall , Ph.D.

Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Rrug and nanoparticle targeting, intracellular biomacromolecular delivery, and systems for controlled release of growth factors and other extracellular-acting molecules

 

P. Brent Ferrell, M.D.

P. Brent Ferrell, Jr., M.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Molecular investigations in myeloid disease

 

Jeremy A. Goettel, Ph.D.

Jeremy A. Goettel, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Mechanisms regulating intestinal immunity

 

Jonathan M. Irish, Ph.D.

Jonathan M. Irish, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Cancer, precision medicine, computational biology, machine learning, cell signaling, chemical biology, single cell tools

 

Annet Kirabo, D.V.M., Ph.D.

Annet Kirabo, D.V.M., Ph.D. 

Associate Professor of Medicine

Associate Professor of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics

Cardiovascular disease, Hypertension, Dendritic cells, Neo-antigens, Isolevuglandins

 

Jonathan Kropski, M.D.

Jonathan Kropski, M.D.

Associate Professor of Medicine

Associate Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology

Pulmonary fibrosis, Genetics, Rare lung diseases, Single cell genomics

 

Ken Lau, Ph.D.

Ken Lau, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology

Single-cell, computational systems biology, inflammation, colorectal cancer, stem cells, epithelial biology, cell state specification, signal transduction

 

Amy S. Major, Ph.D.

Amy S. Major, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Medicine

Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Immunological mechanisms of autoimmunity in atherosclerosis

 

Janet Markle, Ph.D.

Janet Markle, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Inborn errors of immunity, Molecular and cellular immunology, pediatric immune-mediated diseases

 

Denis Mogilenko, Ph.D.

Denis Mogilenko, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine 

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology 

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Immunometabolism, Molecular Biology, Systems Biology, Computational Biology, Cancer Biology, Obesity, Aging,

 

Daniel J. Moore, MD, PhD

Daniel J. Moore, Ph.D., M.D.

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Immune regulation in autoimmunity and transplantation

 

Danyvid Olivares-Villagomez, PhD

Danyvid Olivares-Villagomez, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Mucosal immunology, IEL, iCD8alpha, osteopontin, granzyme

 

Michelle Ormseth, M.D.

 

Michelle Ormseth, M.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatic diseases and small RNAs as biomarkers and modifiers of disease in patients with rheumatic diseases.

 

Dolly Padovani-Claudio, MD, PhD

Dolly Padovani-Claudio, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Vascular diseases of the retina

 

Anna Patrick, MD, PhD

Anna Patrick, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Autoimmune Disease, Autoinflammatory Disease, Immunology, Genetics

Mary Philip, MD, PhD

Mary Philip, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Hematology, Cancer Immunology, T cells, Epigenetics, Autoimmunity, Differentiation

 

Elizabeth Phillips, M.D.

Elizabeth Phillips, M.D.

Professor of Medicine

Professor of Dermatology

John A. Oates Chair in Clinical Research

Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Professor of Pharmacology

HLA, T-cell Immunology, Immunogenomics, Pharmacogenomics, Drug Hypersensitivity, SJS/TEN, Adverse Drug Reactions

 

Jeffery C. Rathmell, PhD

Jeffery C. Rathmell, Ph.D.

Director, Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology

Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Professor of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics

Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Immunobiology

T cell metabolism in inflammation and anti-tumor immunity

 

Jeffery C. Rathmell, PhD

Krishnendu Roy, Ph.D.

Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering

Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

 

Ana P. Serezani, PhD.

Ana P. Serezani, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Medicine

Immunology, Inflammation, T cells, lung remodeling and fibrosis.

 

C. Henrique Serezani, PhD

C. Henrique Serezani, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Infectious Disease

Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Understanding host defense in pre-existing inflammatory conditions

 

Luc Van Kaer, Ph.D

Luc Van Kaer, Ph.D.

Elizabeth and John Shapiro Chair

Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Role of innate-type regulatory lymphocytes in health and chronic inflammatory diseases

 

Nicole L. Ward, Ph.D.

 

Nicole L. Ward, Ph.D.

Vice Chair for Research, Department of Dermatology

Professor of Dermatology

Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis (PsA), osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), lupus, hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), other inflammatory skin diseases, multi-‘omics, microbiome, and skin disease co-morbidities.

 

Erin Wilfong, M.D., Ph.D.

Erin Wilfong, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Myositis-related Interstitial Lung Disease and Rheumatic Disease

John Wilson, Ph.D.

John T. Wilson, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Chemical & Biomolecular Enginering

Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Polymer science, nanotechnology, immunobiology, colloid and surface engineering, cell engineering, and drug delivery

 

Keith Wilson, MD

Keith T. Wilson, M.D.

Thomas F. Frist Sr. Chair in Medicine

Professor of Medicine

Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Host immune response to the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori

 

Lan Wu, MD

Lan Wu, M.D.

Research Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Interactions between the immune and metabolic systems, whole body metabolism

 

Fiona E. Yull, DPhil

Fiona E. Yull, D.Phil.

Associate Professor of Cancer Biology

Associate Professor of Pharmacology

Ovarian, breast and lung cancer

 

Sandra Zinkel, MD, PhD

Sandra S. Zinkel, Ph.D., M.D

Associate Professor of Medicine

Associate Professor of Cancer Biology

Mechanisms by which normal and malignant cells regulate programed cell death or apoptosis following DNA damage

 

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