Research

The research arm of the Division conducts basic science, clinical and translational studies of infectious diseases, including surveillance of acute respiratory and gastrointestinal infections; new vaccines and antimicrobials; Streptococcus pneumoniae, cytomegalovirus (CMV), influenza, and other respiratory viral infections; Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD); epidemiology and clinical features of Lyme disease; and prophylaxis and treatment of infections in transplant patients.

The Division includes basic researchers focused on microbial attachment and cell entry, immunity, and pathogenesis; immune response to intestinal bacteria; lung immunobiology and inflammation; mechanisms by which cellular barriers restrict viral infections; and vaccine development. Pathogens studied by investigators in the Division include adenovirus, chikungunya virus (CHIKV), enterovirus, human metapneumovirus (MPV), influenza virus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Borrelia burgdorferi, reovirus, and Zika virus. 

Collaborations and Partnerships

In addition to individual laboratories within the Division, faculty and staff are key members of several initiatives around UPMC and University of Pittsburgh which engage in cutting-edge innovation and discovery work around infectious disease.

• The Institute for Infection, Inflammation and Immunity in Children (i4Kids) initiative is a joint effort between the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh focused on improving children’s health by combatting infectious and inflammatory diseases through catalyzing new multi-disciplinary collaborations across the health sciences, natural and physical sciences, computer science, and engineering.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN) site in the Division focuses on population-based surveillance and data collection on the use and impact of vaccines and the impact of vaccine policies.