Seminars

Microbiology & Immunology Graduate Student RIP presentations take place in-person on Fridays from 12–1 p.m. Please contact the M&I Seminar Committee, microseminar@mcw.edu, for room location or other information.

September 15, 2023
Elaheh Hashemi
Advisor: Dr. Subramaniam Malarkannan
NK cell development and function

September 22, 2023
Mohamed Khalil
Advisor: Dr. Subramaniam Malarkannan
NK cell development and function

September 29, 2023
Madison Nelson
Advisor: Dr. Chris Kristich
Antibiotic resistance and bacterial signal transduction

October 13, 2023
Dandan Wang
Advisor: Dr. Subramaniam Malarkannan
NK cell development and function

October 20, 2023
Perrin Schupbach
Advisor: Dr. Andrey Sorokin
Cell signaling and kidney diseases

October 27, 2023
Ao Mei
Advisor: Dr. Subramaniam Malarkannan
NK cell development and function

November 3, 2023
Fatima Aboulalazm
Advisor: Dr. John Kirby
Microbial communities, xenobiotic disruption of microbiomes

November 10, 2023
Angela Beltrame
Advisor: Dr. Bonnie Dittel
Immune regulation and homeostasis

November 17, 2023
Alfredo Colina
Advisor: Dr. Anthony Zamora
Viral and cancer immunology

December 1, 2023
Kelli Sommers
Advisor: Dr. Bonnie Dittel
Immune regulation and homeostasis

December 8, 2023
Wendy Lin
Advisor: Dr. Weiguo Cui
Effector and memory T cell differentiation

January 5, 2024
Lexi Kazen
Advisor: Dr. John Kirby
Microbial communities, xenobiotic disruption of microbiomes

January 12, 2024
Teja Karimikonda
Advisor: Dr. Nita Salzman
Host-microbe interactions in the GI tract, microbiota in health and disease

January 19, 2024
No RIP (IDP recruitment day)

January 26, 2024
Alexis Uitenbroek
Advisor: Dr. Chris Kristich
Antibiotic resistance and bacterial signal transduction

February 9, 2024
Olaide Abiona & Nathan Witman (30 mins each)
Advisors: Dr. Nita Salzman | Dr. Renren Wen
Host-microbe interactions in the GI tract | T and B cell signaling and activation

February 16, 2024
Tyler Laib & Kimani Njoya (30 mins each)
Advisors: Dr. John Kirby | Dr. Michelle Riehle
Microbial communities, xenobiotic disruption of microbiomes | Malaria vector biology

February 23, 2024
Maria Poimenidou (30 mins)
Advisor: Dr. Mike Dwinell
Cancer metastasis, tumor microenvironment, mucosal inflammation

March 1, 2024
Johnathan Caldon & Lu Zhou (30 mins each)
Advisors: Dr. Bonnie Dittel | Dr. Renren Wen
Immune regulation and homeostasis | T and B cell signaling and activation

March 8, 2024
Damon Schmalzriedt & Katie Taquet (30 mins each)
Advisors: Dr. Vera Tarakanova | Dr. Michelle Riehle
Virus-associated tumorigenesis and virus-host interactions | Malaria vector biology

March 22, 2024
Ryan Brown & Lauren Prochniak (30 mins each)
Advisors: Dr. Weiguo Cui | Dr. Rob Lochhead
Effector and memory T cell differentiation | Lyme disease, inflammation, and autoimmunity

March 29, 2024
Erika Johansen & Dilini Kumarasinghe (30 mins each)
Advisors: Dr. Vera Tarakanova | Dr. Chris Kristich
Virus-associated tumorigenesis and virus-host interactions | Antibiotic resistance and bacterial signal transduction

April 5, 2024
Leonard Asare & Maya Blau (30 mins each)
Advisors: Dr. Nita Salzman | Dr. Chris Kristich
Host-microbe interactions in the GI tract | Antibiotic resistance and bacterial signal transduction

April 12, 2024
Cade Rahlf & Colin McAllister (30 mins each)
Advisors: Dr. Vera Tarakanova | Dr. John Kirby
Virus-associated tumorigenesis and virus-host interactions | Microbial communities, xenobiotic disruption of microbiomes

April 19, 2024
Donovan Drouillard (30 mins)
Advisor: Dr. Mike Dwinell
Cancer metastasis, tumor microenvironment, mucosal inflammation

More details to come.

Seminars are held on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. in a hybrid format unless otherwise noted. Please contact the M&I Seminar Committee, microseminar@mcw.edu, for room location, Zoom link, or other information.

February 21, 2023
Anna Cliffe, PhD
HSV latency and reactivation in neurons
University of Virginia
Host: Dr. Vera Tarakanova

February 28, 2023
Joe Zenga, MD
Surgical site infections after head and neck surgery and the oral microbiome
Medical College of WI, Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences
Host: Center for Microbiome Research

March 7, 2023
Seemay Chou, PhD
“From Bacteria to Ticks: How Biology Keeps Us Guessing”
Arcadia Science
Host: Drs. Michelle Riehle and Jenifer Coburn
Virtual option only

March 14, 2023
Miqdad Dhariwala, PhD
Barrier tissue immunology, host response to infection, microbiome
University of California, San Francisco
Host: Center for Immunology

March 28, 2023
Karen Guillemin, PhD
Host-microbe interactions in development and disease; H. pylori pathogenesis
University of Oregon
Host: Center for Microbiome Research

April 11, 2023
Elsio Wunder, PhD, DVM
Leptospira pathogenesis, diagnostics, and vaccines
Yale University
Host: Joe Rouse (PhD candidate in Lochhead lab)

April 18, 2023
Jean-Laurent Casanova, MD, PhD
“The Human Genetic and Immunological Determinants of Life-Threatening COVID-19”
Rockefeller University
Host: Dr. Jenifer Coburn for the Distinguished Faculty Lectureship in Infectious Diseases
12-1pm seminar

May 2, 2023
Leo Luznik, MD
Graft vs. Host Diseases; Leukemia; Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Johns Hopkins
Host: Dr. Yongxia Wu

May 9, 2023
Charlotte Vines, PhD
Chemokine biology, immune responses, CCR7 signaling
University of Texas at El Paso
Host: Center for Immunology

May 15, 2023
Stacey Schultz-Cherry, PhD
Viral pathogenesis, novel vaccines and therapeutics, microbial co-infections
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Host: Dr. Vera Tarakanova for the Distinguished Grossberg Lectureship in Virology
Seminar is on a Monday from 11am-12pm

May 30, 2023
Celeste Allaband, PhD, DVM
Interactions between the gut microbiome, diet, and metabolism
UC- San Diego
Host: Dr. John Kirby

Seminars are held on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. in a hybrid format unless otherwise noted. Please contact the M&I Seminar Committee, microseminar@mcw.edu, for room location, Zoom link, or other information.

August 30, 2022
Matthew Kudek, MD
T cell exhaustion and dysfunction
Versiti Blood Research Institute
Host: Dr. Mike Dwinell

October 4, 2022
Brian Stevenson, PhD
Borrelia burgdorferi gene expression
University of Kentucky
Host: Dr. Rob Lochhead

October 11, 2022
Robert Jenq, MD
The impact of the microbiome on cancer treatment
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Host: Dr. Xue-Zong Yu

October 18, 2022
Joe Valdez, PhD
Optofluidic technology and cell-based products
Berkeley Lights
Host: Center for Immunology

November 1, 2022
Richard Gallo, MD, PhD
The skin microbiome, antimicrobial defense, and tissue glycosaminoglycans
University of California- San Diego
Host: Center for Microbiome Research

November 8, 2022
Dana Shaw, PhD
Tick-transmitted diseases
Washington State University
Hosts: Dr. Jenifer Coburn and Dr. Michelle Riehle

November 15, 2022
Anna Cliffe, PhD
Herpes Simplex Virus infection of neurons
University of Virginia
Host: Dr. Vera Tarakanova

December 6, 2022
Vanessa Leone, PhD
Microbes & microbially-derived metabolites
University of Wisconsin- Madison
Host: Center for Microbiome Research

Seminars are held on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. Please contact Stephanie Kellogg, skellogg@mcw.edu, for Zoom link or other information.

January 11, 2022
Dr. Jenny Wachter
Rocky Mountain Labs NIAID, NIH
Host: Christa Fierros

February 1, 2022
Dr. Yasmine Belkaid
NIAID Laboratory of Host Immunity
Host: Center for Microbiome Research

February 15, 2022
Dr. Andreas Baumler
University of California Davis
Host: Center for Microbiome Research

March 22, 2022
Dr. Brandon Garcia
Eastern Carolina University
Host: Dr. Jenifer Coburn

April 26, 2022
Dr. June Round
University of Utah
Host: Center for Microbiome Research

May 3, 2022
Dr. David Hansen
Brigham Young University
Host: Dr. Rob Lochhead

May 17, 2022
Grossberg Lectureship
Dr. Mary Estes
Baylor College of Medicine
Host: Dr. Scott Terhune

June 14, 2022
Distinguished Faculty in ID Lectureship
Dr. Tobias Hohl
Memorial Sloan Kettering
Host: Dr. Jenifer Coburn

Peggy Cotter, PhD
Professor, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Host: Adam Pickrum, Frank Lab
Title: Bordetella filamentous hemagglutinin: adhesin, immunomodulator, and toxin deliverer

September 21, 2021
Michael D. L. Johnson, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Arizona
Host: Dusanka Djoric, PhD
Title: Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Copper II
Topic: A look into how copper toxicity affects Streptococcus pneumoniae and what we can do about it

September 28, 2021
Gretchen Diehl, PhD
Lab Head, Sloan Kettering Institute
Host: Kevin Jennings, Salzman
Research Area: Intestinal homeostasis and molecular and cellular pathways regulated by the microbiota.

October 12, 2021
Victor Torres, PhD
Professor, New York University
Host: Adam Pickrum, Frank Lab
Research Area: Dissecting Complex interactions between pathogenic bacteria and the mammalian host.

October 19, 2021
Nicole Baumgarth, DVM, PhD
Professor, University of California, Davis
Host: Lochhead Lab
Research Areas: Immunological mechanisms that regulate and control immunity to pathogens

November 2, 2021
Kamal Khanna, PhD
Associate Professor, NYU Langone Health
Host: Preeti Garai, PhD
Research Areas: Complex dynamics of host-pathogen interactions during innate and adaptive immune response following infection

November 16, 2021
Gabriel Nuñez, MD
Professor, University of Michigan
Host: Center for Microbiome Research and Center for Immunology
Research Areas: Nod=like receptor and Toll-like receptor families in immune responses against microbial pathogens and disease

December 7, 2021
Regina Joice Cordy, PhD
Assistant Professor, Wake Forest University
Host: Riehle Lab
Research Areas: Host-malaria parasite interactions, plasma metabolome and gut microbiome during malaria infection

December 14, 2021
Yasmine Belkaid, PhD
Chief, NIAID, NIH
Host: Center for Microbiome Research
Research Areas: Mechanisms controlling host microbe interactions at barrier sites such as the skin and the gut.