UAB Department of Microbiology

03/27/2026

J. Victor Garcia Martinez, Ph.D., and Carlos Orihuela, Ph.D., of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Microbiology, and Kevin Harrod, Ph.D., of the UAB Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, share expert insight on how the flu infects the body, why symptoms feel the way they do, and how early action can make a real difference.

This News You Can Use feature breaks down the science behind influenza in a clear and practical way.

Read more: https://buff.ly/ixKob6J

03/26/2026

Get to know Diana Battaglia, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Deparment of Microbiology's Garcia-Martinez/Wahl Lab! ⭐

03/20/2026

COMING UP: Our annual Bertram M. Marx Endowed Lecture, featuring E. John Wherry, Ph.D., of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, is April 1 at 3 p.m. in ALGEN room 102.

Learn more: https://buff.ly/1uShYRF

03/18/2026

In a recent study authored by members of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Departments of Microbiology, Medicine, Surgery, Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, and UAB Pathology published in Cell Press, UAB researchers uncovered consistency in how the immune system decides which part of the foreign HLA protein to attack—information that could help improve transplant success.

When a patient undergoes an organ transplant, failure to match the donor and recipient can lead to the recipient's immune system attacking the new organ, a process triggered by a specific HLA (human leukocyte antigen) protein. In a recent study published in Immunity, UAB researchers uncovered consis...

03/13/2026

Congratulations to Louis B. Justement, Ph.D., in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine of Microbiology, on being elected Chair of the Medical Sciences Section (N) of the AAAS - The American Association for the Advancement of Science!

AAAS Sections help guide scientific leadership and engagement across disciplines. As Chair, Justement will work with the Section N steering committee to support collaboration, strengthen engagement, and advance scientific advocacy at the national level.

Learn more about the Section N leadership: https://www.aaas.org/governance/section-n

03/10/2026

Congratulations to Alexandra Duverger, Ph.D., Scientist II, on being selected for the DEAL Program’s 2026 Cohort! 🎉 UAB Heersink School of Medicine

DEAL kicks off with new cohort of high-potential staff of UAB and UAB Medicine

03/06/2026

Welcome to these new team members in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Microbiology! 👏

03/05/2026

Nicholas Lennemann, Ph.D., was recently featured in The Kansas City Star discussing the recent Nipah virus outbreak in India.

📰Read more: https://buff.ly/leihVkO

03/03/2026

REMINDER: Our annual Bertram M. Marx Endowed Lecture, featuring E. John Wherry, Ph.D. from Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, is April 1 at 3 p.m. in ALGEN room 102!
Learn more: https://buff.ly/l1bxgv9

02/26/2026

Get to know Avraneel Paul, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Microbiology's Niederweis Lab! ⭐

02/20/2026

Nicholas Lennemann, Ph.D., was recently featured in the Miami Herald discussing the deadly Nipah outbreak in India, saying a related virus found in Alabama rodents, the Camp Hill Virus, shows no evidence of infecting humans at this time.

Learn more here: https://buff.ly/eoQ8Kmj

02/19/2026

A new initiative in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Microbiology aims to bring faculty together each month to strengthen grant applications through collaborative feedback, idea sharing, and peer support.

Allan Zajac, Ph.D.A new initiative in the UAB Department of Microbiology aims to bring faculty together each month to strengthen grant applications through collaborative feedback, idea sharing, and peer support.