UAB Department of Microbiology

09/03/2025

Allan Zajac, Ph.D., is part of the 11th cohort of UAB Medicine Leadership Development Office Institute of Leadership program! ⭐️

UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office welcomed 18 individuals in its 11th cohort of Institute for Leadership in August 2025.

08/26/2025

ICYMI: The UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Microbiology held its inaugural State of the Department address earlier this month. Department chair Dr. J. Victor Garcia-Martinez covered several aspects of the department’s research-driven and educational missions while highlighting the department’s recent accomplishments and forward-facing goals.

J. Victor Garcia-Martinez, Ph.D., professor and chair, Charles H. McCauley Endowed Chair, delivered the UAB Department of Microbiology’s inaugural State of the Department address on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. See more photos from the event.

08/25/2025

Joshua Huffines, a lab technician and father, earned his Ph.D. in microbiology from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine after five years of research on bacterial interactions in the nose. He balanced full-time lab work, academic challenges, and family life with strong support from his wife, children, and mentor. Huffines will continue his research at UAB in a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Michael Gray, Ph.D.

With family by his side, UAB lab tech graduates with Ph.D.

08/22/2025

A multi-institutional study led by researchers at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has revealed a mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 infection contributes to long-term lung damage.

Approximately 15 to 20 million Americans who have acquired COVID-19 experience persistent symptoms lasting over 3 months (long-COVID). Respiratory symptoms of long-COVID include breathlessness, coughing, and chest pain/tightening.

08/21/2025

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses recently held its annual meeting at UAB, hosted by Elliot Lefkowitz, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Microbiology.
📰 Read more: https://buff.ly/s8tyRIE

08/20/2025

A recent deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York is a stark reminder that this invisible threat could be lurking in the water mist you breathe every day, from your shower to a decorative fountain or a building’s cooling towers.

Charles Turnbough, Ph.D., in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Microbiology, provides insight into how Legionella spreads illness and why understanding this bacterium is critical to preventing outbreaks.

Learn more: https://buff.ly/0M4aIga

08/19/2025

A new study, led by J. Victor Garcia-Martinez, Ph.D., and Angela Wahl, Ph.D. in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Microbiology, reveals that an antibody originally designed to fight dengue virus may also block the spread of Zika virus in vulnerable areas of the body, including the reproductive organs.

New antibody therapy shows promise in reducing Zika virus in reproductive tissues

08/15/2025

FEATURED: Frances Lund, Ph.D., was featured by Medical Xpress - Medical and Health News for her study "Transcription factor T-bet regulates the maintenance and differentiation potential of lymph node and lung effector memory B cell subsets."

Co-authors of the study include Christopher A. Risley, Michael D. Schultz, Jessica N. Peel and Alexander F. Rosenberg of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Microbiology.

Read more: https://buff.ly/Yq3yiBR

08/14/2025

A study co-authored by Allen Zajac, Ph.D., titled "Gfi1 controls the formation of effector-like CD8+ T cells during chronic infection and cancer," was recently featured by UAB News. The research was conducted in collaboration with fellow UAB scientists, including Lewis Z. Shi, M.D., Ph.D. from the UAB Department of Radiation Oncology.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3J7ev4i

08/13/2025

TOMORROW: Join the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Microbiology for a special seminar with Dr. Paul W. Denton from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Aug. 14 at 10:30 a.m. in BBRB 170. The seminar is titled "Basic Immunology Findings on TLR9 Agonism Informing Clinical Trials Targeting HIV-1 Persistance."

08/12/2025

Thank you to everyone who attended our State of the Department address yesterday! Dr. Garcia-Martinez provided an insightful overview of updates from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine of Microbiology. We are excited about all that's to come for UAB Microbiology!

08/08/2025

NEXT WEEK: The UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Microbiology State of the Department is Monday, August 11 in BBRB 170. ⭐