School of Medicine


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  • Florian Bach

    Florian Bach

    Postdoctoral Scholar, Infectious Diseases

    BioI'm a molecular infection biologist by training, but shifted my focus from pathogens to hosts for my graduate research. During my PhD with Phil Spence in Edinburgh I studied both falciparum and vivax malaria using controlled human (re)infection models, collaborating closely with the groups of Simon Draper and Angela Minassian in Oxford. As a hybrid bioinformatician and experimentalist, I love systems immunology for answering complex questions about human health. For my postdoc, I study in how the human immune response to malaria evolves in infants as they become reinfected and age. I'm also interested in how such early-life immunological events, malaria and beyond, may affect vaccine responses and immune development later in life. I address this question by making use of a longitudinal study cohort of infants receiving monthly chemoprevention in Eastern Uganda, together with our collaborators at UC San Francisco and IDRC Uganda.

  • Niaz Banaei

    Niaz Banaei

    Professor of Pathology and of Medicine (Infectious Diseases)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsHis research interests include (1) development, assessment, and improvement of novel infectious diseases diagnostics, (2) enhancing the quality of C. difficile diagnostic results, and (3) characterization of M. tuberculosis virulence determinants.

  • Brian Blackburn

    Brian Blackburn

    Clinical Professor, Medicine - Infectious Diseases

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy interests include parasitology and global health; I've investigated cryptosporidium and angiostrongylus outbreaks; schistosoma/strongyloides seroprevalence in refugees, and the distribution and impact of ITNs for malaria and filariasis prevention in Nigeria and India. I have done clinical and programmatic work at teaching hospitals in Liberia and Bangladesh and have opportunities for research in Bangladesh and Kenya, in collaboration with ICDDR,B and CDC, Kenya

  • Catherine Blish

    Catherine Blish

    George E. and Lucy Becker Professor in Medicine

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe major goal of our research is to gain insight into the prevention and control of HIV and other viral pathogens by studying the interplay between the virus and the host immune response. We investigate the role of various arms of the immune response, but with a particular focus on NK cells. We hope to gain additional insights into control of infectious diseases by studying how pregnancy modulates immune responses.

  • Paul Bollyky

    Paul Bollyky

    Associate Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and of Microbiology and Immunology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsChronic bacterial infections are a major health care problem. Our lab is interested in understanding the host and microbial factors that perpetuate chronic infections and in developing novel therapeutic interventions to improve human health.

  • Hector Fabio Bonilla

    Hector Fabio Bonilla

    Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Infectious Diseases

    BioAs a young physician at Louisiana State University, Dr. Bonilla focused on the Clinical Management of HIV/AIDS and HCV, two neglected and stigmatized diseases for which effective therapies were in their infancy. While learning the clinical aspects of the two diseases, Dr. Bonilla saw a need to create and organize a support community to promote understanding and management of the conditions. Subsequently, he went to Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio, and he continued his work where he specialized in HIV/HCV as well as in Infectious Diseases Clinical Practice. In addition to teaching medical residents and students, Dr. Bonilla participated in numerous clinical trials and developed clinical research projects. Furthermore, he led the Infection Renal Transplant Program, HIV and HCV clinics, and he participated in several cooperative studies with Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Bonilla’s interest in academia led him to the University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center where he was an Assistant Professor, Clinician, and Medical Educator in the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Due to his interest in cytokines and immunological responses, Dr. Bonilla became a researcher at ImmunoScience Inc., a biotechnology company in California that works to develop a therapeutic HIV vaccine. Dr. Bonilla’s experience of treating HIV/HCV combined with his interest in inflammatory response is the driving force behind his desire to understand ME/CFS. Dr. Bonilla is a strong patient advocate, and he believes in integrated care—care in which physicians communicate and coordinate efforts to deliver the best medical outcome for patients. His ME/CFS patients are his inspiration, and he is committed to continuing research to seek answers to their health challenges.