Microbiology & Immunology at Penn State College of Medicine
Microbiology
The outstanding faculty, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students of the Microbiology & Immunology Department are known for their major contributions in viral and tumor immunology, viral pathogenesis and molecular and structural virology.
Members of the faculty have attained national and international recognition for their research endeavors. Our faculty are notable for their outstanding records of scientific publications, membership and leadership roles on national scientific review committees and advisory panels, appointments on editorial boards of leading virology and immunology journals, and strong extramural grant funding.
The Department of Microbiology and Immunology is honored to host the inaugural Tevethia Endowment Speaker, Rafi Ahmed, PhD.
Rafi Ahmed, PhD, director of the Emory Vaccine Center and Member of the National Academy of Sciences, will be the inaugural speaker for the Tevethia Educational Endowment hosted by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. Ahmed is internationally recognized for his seminal contributions to our understanding of B and T cell memory to chronic and acute viral infections, such as HIV and SARS-CoV-2, and to mechanisms of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.
This event will be held on Thursday, September 7, 2023, in Lecture Room C from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Dr. S. Rameeza Allie is this year’s recipient of the Junior Faculty Teaching Award.
The Junior Faculty Teaching Award recipients are selected by the Society of Distinguished Educators as a means of recognizing the accomplishments of some of the outstanding junior faculty who are already making an impact on the educational mission. Recipients of this award are program leaders, instructional designers, education scholars and, above all, great teachers. This award is arguably the most competitive educational award available through the College of Medicine.
In addition to receiving the Junior Faculty Teaching Award, Allie has also been appointed a member of the Committee on the Status of Women with The American Association of Immunologists. The committee is responsible for generating and developing programs that assure equal treatment of all professional immunologists on the basis of merit. The committee focuses on enhancing career opportunities that advance the involvement and recognition of women immunologists in the scientific community.
Courtney Award
The Department of Microbiology and Immunology is excited to announce the winner of this years’ Courtney Award, Alexander Pham.
The Courtney Award is presented at fall convocation to PhD candidates who have passed their comprehensive examination and who have demonstrated an outstanding record of academic achievement during their graduate studies within the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. A committee of department faculty will consider candidates each year to assess whether any students have reached this exceptional level of excellence. The student will receive a certificate and cash award.
Alumni Society Award
Graduate students Alexander Pham and Katelyn Ayers are this years’ Alumni Society Award recipients.
This award was created as a scholarship based on leadership. It is granted to graduate students who have demonstrated potential for future achievements in their field. They also are active in community affairs and campus activities, and achieved academic distinction.
Conference organizer
Dr. Joseph Wang has the honor of being a Conference Organizer for FASEB's "Virus Structure and Assembly" conference happening July 21-25, 2024, in Southbridge, Mass.
The conference will cover topics and methodologies such as viral genomics, new anti-viral treatments, emerging viruses, and pandemic readiness. It is an ideal forum for every kind of researcher or invested party including academic researchers, post-docs, and graduate students as well as researchers from governmental agencies and the private sector. The conference will feature discoveries and methodologies to study viruses, which are crucial to identifying new pharmacological targets and treatments for viral diseases.