• Skip to main content
  • Skip to main content
Choose which site to search.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Logo University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Graduate School
  • UAMS Health
  • Jobs
  • Giving
  • Alumni
    • Update News
  • Current Students
    • Career & Educational Opportunities
    • Compliance Information for Current Students
    • Course Approval Form for Non-degree Seeking Students
    • Degree Requirements – Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D.
    • Degree Requirements – Master of Science
    • Dissertation and Thesis Preparation
      • Dissertation & Thesis Defense Dates
      • Dissertation and Thesis Preparation and Submission Guidelines
    • F-1 Student Information
      • Admission and Transferring to UAMS from another F-1 Institution
      • Change of Address Form for F-1 Students
      • Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for F-1 Students
        • Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Request for F-1 Student
      • F-1 Employment Information
        • Employment After Graduation
          • 24-Month STEM OPT For F-1 Students
            • 24-Month Optional Practical Training (OPT) STEM Extension Information
          • Optional Practical Training After Graduation
            • Employer Information and Resources for STEM
            • Optional Practical Training (OPT) Factsheet
            • Optional Practical Training Current Employer Information Form
        • F-1 Student Employment While Studying at UAMS
      • F-2 Dependent Information
        • Change of Status – F1 Student to F2 Dependent
          • I-20 Update Request
      • Information for New F-1 Students
        • New F-1 Student Information
        • New F-1 Student Information for I-20 Processing
        • Requesting Express Mail
        • Required Registration While You Study
      • International Student Information Form
      • International Travel and COVID Procedures When Returning to UAMS Campus
      • Invitation Letter Request for Relatives
      • Travel Information Form for F-1 Students
    • Fellowships, Grants, & Travel Awards for Graduate Students
    • General Information and UAMS Resources
      • Academic Catalog
      • Change of Name or Address
      • Graduate School Calendar
      • Graduate School Forms
      • Graduate School Handbook
      • Student Resident Status Reclassification
      • Transcript Requests
      • Tuition and Fees
    • Graduate Student Association
      • Anonymous Comment Form
      • Constitution of the Graduate Student Association
      • Contact Graduate Students Association
    • Graduate Student Teachers of Central Arkansas
      • Graduate Student Teachers of Central Arkansas Past Seminars
    • Graduating Students
      • Commencement Program information
      • Graduate School Campus Clearance Requirements
      • Graduation Form
    • GUS Registration and Term Information
      • Summer 2025 Class Schedule
    • Interprofessional Education (IPE) Requirement for UAMS Graduate School Students
    • News and Upcoming Events
      • Student Awards and Publications
    • Outstanding Teacher Nominations
    • UAMS 3 Minute Thesis Competition
  • New Students
    • Message from the Dean
    • New Student Important Dates
    • New Student Information
    • New Student Resources
    • Student Parking
  • Prospective Students
    • Annual Security and Fire Safety Report
    • Application – Domestic
    • Application – International
    • General Information
    • Non-Degree Seeking Students
    • Programs
      • Biomedical Informatics
      • Clinical and Translational Sciences Track
        • Clinical and Translational Sciences Admission and Track Requirements
        • Clinical and Translational Sciences Curriculum
        • Clinical and Translational Sciences Faculty
        • Graduate Certificate in Clinical and Translational Sciences
      • Clinical Nutrition
      • Communication Sciences & Disorders (Ph.D.)
      • Graduate Certificate in Implementation Science
      • Graduate Certificate in Regulatory Sciences
      • Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences
        • Admissions Information
        • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Track
          • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Track Faculty
        • Cancer Biology Track
          • Cancer Biology Track Faculty
        • Cell Biology and Physiology Track
          • Cell Biology and Physiology Track Faculty
        • Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences Forms
        • Microbiology and Immunology Track
          • Microbiology and Immunology Track Faculty
        • MS Curriculum
        • Neuroscience Track
          • Neuroscience Track Faculty
        • Pathobiology Track
          • Pathobiology Track Faculty
        • Ph.D. Core Curriculum
        • Pharmacology, Toxicology and Experimental Therapeutics Track
          • Pharmacology, Toxicology and Experimental Therapeutics Track Faculty
      • Master of Science/Ph.D. in Bioinformatics
      • Ph.D. in Epidemiology
      • Ph.D. in Health Promotion and Prevention Research
      • Ph.D. in Health Systems and Services Research
      • Ph.D. in Nursing
      • Pharmaceutical Sciences
    • Request More Information
    • UAMS Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD)
      • IMSD mentoring Program
    • UAMS Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)
      • Summer Undergraduate Research Program Application
      • SURP Letter of Recommendation Form
      • SURP Student Information Form
      • SURP to Increase Diversity in Research
        • SURP Application Form
    • Undergraduate Summer Research Opportunities at UAMS
  • Faculty
    • Faculty Resources
    • Graduate Council
      • Bylaws of the Graduate School
      • Graduate Council Policy Manual
      • Graduate School Organization Statement
    • UAMS Graduate School Recruitment
  • Financial
    • Tuition & Fees Payment Instructions
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact Us
  1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  2. Graduate School
  3. Prospective Students
  4. Programs
  5. Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences
  6. Microbiology and Immunology Track
  7. Microbiology and Immunology Track Faculty

Microbiology and Immunology Track Faculty

Youssef Aachoui, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

Innate Immunity Defenses against Intracellular Pathogens

Jon Blevins, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

We study the pathogenesis of the Borrelia spirochetes that cause Lyme disease and relapsing fever.

Karl Boehme, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

My laboratory studies mechanisms of reovirus pathogenesis.

Nalinii Bora, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

My research is focused upon the understanding of biochemical, immunological, molecular and genetic mechanisms of various ocular diseases such as autoimmune uveitis and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Martin Cannon, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

Our current research is focused on elucidation of the signaling pathways that drive myeloid cell-mediated immune suppression and on development of adjuvant treatments for DC vaccination against ovarian cancer.

Paul Drew, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

Dr. Drew conducts research in the field of Neuroimmunology. Normally, immune activity in the brain is limited. However, in diseases including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and alcohol abuse activated immune cells are observed in the brain. These immune cells produce cytokines which may be toxic to brain cells as well as chemokines which direct cells to sites of inflammation, resulting in neuropathology. Dr. Drew’s research involves modern cellular and molecular biology techniques.

James Craig Forrest, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

Virology, cancer biology, immunology! Gammaherpesviruses are cancer-causing viruses that infect the majority of humans. We are working to define functions of viral proteins in infection and disease, identify host factors that block viral infection and prevent virus-driven cancers, and understand immune responses to chronic viral infections. Our major goal is to comprehend the complex relationship between gammaherpesviruses and their hosts. PLUS, we get to do cool science and figure out how stuff works!

Lu Huang, Ph.D.
Website: Department Profile

My laboratory studies lung macrophages and their roles during the infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We aim to understand the ontogeny of lung macrophages and how different metabolic pathways regulate their functions in tuberculosis. In addition, we are particularly interested in the crosstalk between cellular metabolism and epigenetic regulation in lung macrophages.

Joshua Epstein, D. Sc.
Website: Research Profile

Dr. Epstein research interests are molecular consequences of myeloma/stroma interaction.

Chia Lee, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

Molecular pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus

Lin-Xi Li, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

Adaptive immunity to Chlamydia female reproductive tract infection.

Jia Liu, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

The Liu lab studies host intrinsic innate signaling using poxvirus as probing tool. We also engineer poxviruses for immunotherapy of cancer such as ovarian cancer.

Vladimir Lupashin, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

My laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for the generation and maintenance of intra-cellular membrane-bounded compartments. In all eukaryotic cells intracellular membrane trafficking is critical for a range of important cellular functions including protein secretion, post-translational modifications, cell signalling, cell polarization, and cell maintenance. Defects in membrane trafficking can underline, or even exacerbate, a number of human diseases including cancer, diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis, Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome and Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation.

Mark Manzano, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

We are interested in studying primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), an aggressive B cell cancer caused by the Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus or human herpesvirus 8 (KSHV/HHV8). PEL tumor cells rely on the constitutive expression of virally encoded genes that globally reprogram host gene expression to create a conducive environment optimal for tumor cell proliferation and survival.

Mayumi Nakagawa, M.D. Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

Cell-mediated immunity against human papillomavirus (HPV), HPV therapeutic vaccine development, cancer immunotherapy

Roger Pechous, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

Our laboratory is interested in understanding the pathogenesis of pulmonary infection with Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague.  We seek to characterize the host/pathogen interactions responsible for disease progression and to define the mechanisms and effects of inflammation-mediated pulmonary damage that occur during infection.

Steven Post, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

We are interested in understanding the mechanisms by which scavenger receptors regulate macrophage function in chronic inflammatory disease.

Zhiqiang Qin, M.D., Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

Dr. Qin's research focuses on cancer oncology and microbiology. He has an active NIH/NCI research award titled Periodontal Bacteria Enhance Oral KSHV Pathogenesis and Kaposi's Sarcoma Development in HIV+ Patients.

Mark Smeltzer, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

Bacteriology, microbial pathogenesis, Staphylococcus aureus infection, orthopedic infection

Jason Stumhofer, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

The protozoan parasite Plasmodium is the causative agent of malaria, which remains one of the most prominent public health challenges in the world today. My laboratory is interested in determining how protective antibody responses are generated and maintained in mice after Plasmodium infection, so that we can utilize this information to understand why antibody-mediated immunity is slow to develop in humans. Specifically, we are interested in understanding how memory B cells are generated and maintained after Plasmodium infection, and whether heterogeneity within the me

David Ussery, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

We are using ‘third generation sequencing technology’ (such as Oxford Nanopore flow cells) to do metagenomics of clinical isolates and environmental samples.

Daniel Voth, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

The Voth laboratory uses novel human-derived models of infection to study bacterial pathogens that establish pulmonary infections in humans.

Tiffany Weinkopff, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

According to the CDC, more than 1 billion people, or one-sixth of the world’s population, is suffering from one or more Neglected Tropical Diseases with many of these diseases affecting the poorest populations in the developing world. Our lab focuses on the parasitic disease that results from Leishmania infection. We use a combination of mouse models and in vitro culture to define the cellular and molecular mechanisms that are important in the development of disease and the resolution of inflammation. More specifically, we are interested in the balance between the vascular and immune responses that lead to parasite control and those that promote lesion pathology.

Venkat Yeruva, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

Our lab focus on two aspects 1. Role of Chlamydia variants in host pathogenesis. 2. Role of infant diet in gastrointestinal tract development and immune function.

Xuming Zhang, Ph.D.
Website: Research Profile

The molecular biology of coronavirus and influenza virus, viral entry and replication, virus-host cell interaction and pathogenesis, viral vaccine and antiviral drug.

UAMS Graduate School LogoUAMS Graduate SchoolUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Mailing Address: 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
Phone: (501) 686-7000
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement

© 2025 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences