People

Associate Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology, TUSM

My group studies how Clostridioides difficile, a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and gastroenteritis-associated death in the United States, forms infectious spores and how these spores germinate upon sensing specific bile salts in the mammalian gut. Spore formation and germination are essential for C. difficile to transmit disease, and analyses of these processes have revealed major differences relative to previously studied spore formers. We use a multi-disciplinary approach to identify regulators of these processes and elucidate their mechanisms of action. A better understanding of the basic biology of C. difficile sporulation and spore germination should facilitate the development of spore-specific therapies that can prevent C. difficile disease transmission. These analyses have also led us to study the mechanisms underlying antimicrobial resistance and responses to physiological stressors in C. difficile and develop methods for visualizing C. difficile’s response to these stressors.

Attending Physician in Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, TMC; Associate Professor of Medicine, TUSM

I am an infectious diseases clincian and and an NIH-funded health disparities researcher. My research interests include prevention and treatment of infection diseases in people who use drugs and people who are incarcerated.

Assistant Professor of Pathology (Anatomy), TUCSVM

I investigate mechanisms by which we can use alternatives to antibiotics such as therapeutic vaccination and host-directed therapies to combat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. My lab focuses on mycobacterial genetics to identify mycobacterial genes involved in virulence and evasion of the host-immune response, including vaccine responses. By studying TB virulence genes, I hope to identify TB antigens critical for TB survival in the host with the aim to target those TB proteins in vaccine design.

Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology, TUSM

My lab focuses on using bacteriophage therapy against antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, primarily Vibrio cholerae, which is the causative agent of cholera.

Associate Professor of Biology, TUSAS; Co-Director of Science, Technology and Society

My lab has been using metagenomic sequencing to identify antibiotic resistance reservoirs in food systems, and we have also been working to identify how microbial interactions could drive the evolution of antibiotic resistance. More broadly, the research in my lab links ecological and evolutionary patterns in microbial communities with the molecular mechanisms that generate these patterns. Using tractable microbial communities from isolated from food systems, we have two broad research goals: identify the molecular mechanisms that control the assembly and function of microbial communities determine how microbial species evolve within multi-species communities. Our work will help develop principles of microbial community assembly that can guide the design and manipulation of microbial communities in agriculture, industry, medicine, and nature.

Associate Professor of Medical Education, TUSM; Director, Tufts University Center for Translational Science Education

Our work at CTSE engages future scientists and citizens in the science of health by fostering collaboration among biomedical scientists and high school educators. One of our projects focuses bring infectious diseases and AMR to high school classrooms across the country to increase science engagement and health literacy.

Attending Physician; Director, Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program, TMC; Assistant Professor of Medicine, TUSM

My main work involves clinical trials which advance novel therapeutics and vaccines to FDA approval. I’m interested in trials involving bacteriophage as adjunctive therapy for drug resistant infections. I have also worked on research and quality improvement projects on vaccines and clinical trials for RSV vaccines, RSV prophylaxis, and SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics and vaccines.

Provost & Senior Vice President, Tufts University; Arthur E Spiller Professor of Immunology, TUSM

My translational work has encompassed clinical studies evaluating immunological and microbiological responses following acute inflammatory diseases induced by sexually transmitted infections. Gonorrhea, caused Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is a disease of worldwide prevalence. The continued persistence and increased N. gonorrhoeae resistance to third generation cephalosporins is a warning for the development and spread of untreatable gonorrhea. One of our long-term goals is to develop a vaccine to treat sexually transmitted infections with emphasis on prevention of secondary complications in women.

Research Assistant Professor of Medical Education, TUSM

My work bridges environmental surveillance with education through a unique tracking program that engages undergraduates and high school students in classroom-based research activities to monitor resistance levels in environmental samples worldwide. Data contributed by students is curated and recorded in a GIS-based mapping system, providing researchers with an overview of potential hotspots of antimicrobial resistance.

Professor of Infectious Disease and Global Health, TUCSVM

My research focuses on the development and application of therapeutic biomolecules for treating a variety of diseases caused by pathogens such as C. difficile, Campylobacter, Vibrio cholera and various pathotypes of E. coli. Most of our therapeutic agents employ single domain antibody (sdAb) binding agents consisting of the VH region of heavy-chain-only Abs (VHHs) from immunized alpacas which have been selected for their ability to neutralize critical pathogen functions. These simple, stable VHH agents are then re-engineered in various ways to produce practical, cost-effective products with demonstrated potential to prevent or treat some diseases.

Assistant Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine & Clinical Pharmacology, TUCSVM

I am a small-animal internist and clinical pharmacologist. I am part of a One Health collaboration with Annie Wayne, a veterinary criticalist at the Cummings School and fellow Levy CIMAR Core Faculty Member, as well as individuals at Tufts Medical Center. Together, we aim to bring human stewardship principles to companion animal veterinary medicine. I am also involved in clinical trials to provide evidence for appropriate antimicrobial treatment durations in veterinary patients.

As of 2023, I am the president-elect for ISCAID (International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases), the group responsible for the most widely used antimicrobial guidelines.

Associate Professor of Chemistry, TUSAS

Research in my lab focuses on the synthesis of oligosaccharide antibiotics. These include compounds with broad spectrum activity against gram negative bacteria, as well as molecules that target Group B strep (GBS).

Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, TUSE

The working title of the doctoral dissertation of Kate Woodward, P.E., who I advise is “Removal of Antibiotic Residues and Control of Antibiotics Movement from Cattle Industry Wastewater in Nebraska.”  Antibiotics used in livestock production to treat and prevent infections may impact human health by promoting development and excretion of resistant bacteria or genes in animal manure.

Professor and Chair of the Division of Nutrition Data Sciences, TUFSN

Adjunct Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, TUSE; Public Health & Family Medicine, TUSM, Mathematics, TUSAS

Emerging and re-emerging diseases, environmental epidemiology, molecular biology, nutrition, and growth

Frank C. Doble Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Dean of Research, TUSE

My research interests are in the convergence of technology, biologically inspired materials, and the natural sciences with an emphasis on new transformative approaches for sustainable materials for high-technology applications.

Attending Physician, TMC; Assistant Professor, TUSM

I am the Associate Director for the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Tufts Medical Center. My areas of interest are antimicrobial stewardship in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), hospital-acquired infections, diagnostic stewardship and rapid diagnostics in infectious diseases as well as continuing partnerships with public health authorities in order to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

Dean, TUSM; Chief Academic Officer for Tufts Medicine

My clinical interests include infections in immunocompromised patients and S. aureus infections, and my research interests focus on S. aureus and the development of new anti-infective agents. (Note: Dr. Boucher was Director of the Levy CIMAR along with Dr. Ralph Isberg from 2018-2021. Her work in antimicrobial resistance extends to education, policy, outreach, and more. She is a Fellow and Member of the Board of Directors of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and is appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, or PACCARB.)

Professor of Medicine, TUSM and TMC

The intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium, (which is resistant to most antimicrobials including the classic antifolate antiparasitic drugs), is a major cause of diarrheal disease worldwide, particularly in immunocompromised hosts such as untreated patients with HIV/AIDS and malnourished children in resource-limited settings. Our research is focused on: 1) understanding the pathogenesis of human Cryptosporidium infection using novel bioengineered 3D intestinal tissue models; 2) the molecular basis of Cryptosporidium-host cell interactions, seeking to investigate proteins which mediate these interactions and enzymes that post-translationally modify them; 3) immune responses to Cryptosporidium in children in resource-limited settings where cryptosporidiosis is endemic; and 4) the intestinal microbiome in infectious diarrheal disease including childhood cryptosporidiosis and malnutrition. 5) understanding of recovery after post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in adults.

Attending Physician; Assistant Director of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, TMC

My research focuses on tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria, and I am interested in studying how next-generation sequencing and novel diagnostic methods can be integrated into clinical care and public health interventions that can be used to improve outcomes from these infections.

Professor of Biomedical Engineering, TUSE

Tissue engineering and cancer diagnostics

Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology, TUSM

My lab investigates factors required for Klebsiella pneumoniae to cause disease in lungs, blood, liver and bladder, as well as genetic, host-derived, and chemical factors that render multi-drug resistant Klebsiella more susceptible to treatment.

Professor of Infectious Disease and Global Health, TUCSVM

My lab seeks to understand genetic factors that impact susceptibility to infectious disease, specific or general and the repercussions for potential epidemics, persistence, and evolution of those infectious agents. Using a combination of our own field samples, collaborations and published genomic data, we are developing tools to investigate correlates of influenza disease resistance and/or susceptibility among multiple species. We seek to provide unbiased host factors associated with viral resistance/susceptibility while contributing valuable tools for all investigators.

Attending Physician in Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, TMC; Assistant Professor of Medicine, TUSM.

I am an infectious diseases clinician and clinical researcher. My research interests include antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship in acute care, long-term care, and OPAT (outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy) care settings.

Professor & Director, Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development

My group studies the economic, political, technical and scientific challenges of developing new antimicrobials and other pharmaceutical products. We also examine how regulatory policy influences innovation in areas of unmet medical need, such as AMR.

I am interested in the molecular design of structural scaffolds for discovering new antimicrobial compounds especially those against resistant organisms, as well as the use of organic chemistry, biological chemistry, biophysics, and cellular biology to understand mechanism of action of therapeutically relevant antibiotics.

Dean Ad Interim and Karol Family Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Tissue and Metabolic Engineering Laboratory, TUSE

My research interests include metabolic engineering, tissue engineering, and systems biology, as well as the study of cellular metabolism and its role in shaping biological function. A major ongoing effort is to investigate metabolites that mediate chemical communication between bacterial gut microbiota and the host.

Paul and Elaine Chervinsky Professor in Immunology and Vice Dean for Research, TUSM

The focus of my research is on Lyme disease. My laboratory is interested in the pathogenesis of Lyme disease both from the perspective of how the bacteria adapt to its different host environments as well as how the host immune response recognizes the organism and is responsible for the pathology associated with the infection. As a physician scientist, my overall goals are to be able to improve prevention, treatment and diagnosis of human Lyme disease and to this end, we have been working on projects to develop vaccines and improved diagnostics for the presence of disease after antibiotic therapy. We are working in the area of antibiotic development to develop narrow spectrum agents for Lyme disease that will limit the development of resistance in off-target bacteria by ensuring that most other bacteria are already naturally resistant.

Research Assistant Professor, TUCSVM

My research focuses on understanding how domestic and wild animals such as backyard chickens and city rats contribute to the spread of AMR genes in urban centers.

Fellow in Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, TMC

My main clinical and research interests focus on antimicrobial stewardship and resistance in solid organ transplant recipients. My research focuses on the impact of Clostridioides difficile resistance and ribotypes on clinical outcomes especially in patients with immunocompromising conditions.

Senior Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Infectious Diseases, TMC

I am the senior pharmacist responsible for antimicrobial stewardship and ID consult services Tufts Medical Center. I serve as a preceptor and lecturer for pharmacy residents and ID fellows. My research interests include clinical and economic outcomes associated with antimicrobial stewardship.

Attending Physician, TMC;
Assistant Professor, TUSM

I study HIV drug resistance and translate results into public health and antiretroviral therapy program policy in low- and middle-income countries. In addition, my laboratory studies inter- and intra-host diversity of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drug resistance.

Assistant Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering, TUSE

The Nair lab is interested in using the tools of synthetic and chemical biology to understand the effect of antimicrobials on the structure and function of microbial communities.

Research assistant professor, TUSM; Director for Translational Research, Tufts University Lyme Disease Initiative

I study the molecular mechanisms the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease, uses to transition between different hosts such as ticks, mice, and humans. My research aims to exploit these unique metabolic interactions to design targeted drugs for Lyme disease.

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, TUSE,
Associate Professor, TUSM

Developing synthetic materials for the delivery of therapeutic biomacromolecules

Assistant Professor of Medical Education, TUSM

I serve as Director of the Lab Science Investigators Program on AMR, Director of the Great Diseases curriculum, and Co-Director of the Mini-Med Connect Programs for pre-college learners at the Center for Science Education at Tufts University. I also teach immunology in the professional programs at Tufts University School of Medicine. After my doctoral work in Immunology and a postdoctoral fellowship in Infectious Disease, I trained in curriculum design and evaluation in the domain of biomedical education. I have experienced science education from the prism of having designed curriculum for, and teaching, a wide spectrum of learners from high school students, K-12 educators, medical students, and graduate students. My research focuses on models to strengthen engagement with science and health awareness in adolescent populations through inclusive, equitable teaching practices.

Director of Clinical Microbiology, TMC

My research is focused on the design and development of novel mass spectrometry-based approaches to diagnose and study infectious disease, cancer and drug distribution.

Attending Physician, Associate Hospital Epidemiologist, and Antimicrobial Steward, TMC; Professor of Medicine, TUSM

My research focuses on the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship strategies in human acute care,  human long term care, and animal care settings.

Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology, TUSM

My lab’s research centers on understanding how Mycobacterium tuberculosis exploits environmental cues to survive and grow in its host. As part of this focus, we seek to (i) elucidate regulatory nodes that enable the bacterium’s coordinated response to disparate cues and that thus represent novel therapeutic targets in both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant bacteria, and (ii) understand how microenvironment heterogeneity impacts infection outcome and treatment efficacy.

Research Assistant Professor, TUSM

In my research, I use a combination of fluorescence microscopy, omics style data, and computational biology to understand how drugs target and kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Using antibacterials to inhibit specific cellular processes, I am currently investigating how perturbations to one or more pathways contribute to Mtb cell death.

Associate Professor of Medicine, TUSM; Attending Physician, TMC

I investigate the risk factors for infections by antibiotic-resistant organisms and develop scores to target certain patients for therapy for such organisms. My research focuses on infections by resistant Gram negative pathogens, C. difficile, and other hospital-acquired pathogens.

Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley
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Our lab studies environmental and zoonotic transmission of antibiotic resistance, primarily in low-income countries, with an aim to develop strategies to prevent early life exposure to antibiotic resistant pathogens. I serve as the Blum Center for Developing Economies Distinguished Chair in Global Poverty and Practice at Berkeley.

Professor of Infection Medicine, Lund University, Sweden
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My laboratory focuses on understanding host-pathogen interactions, with emphasis on respiratory pathogens, using this knowledge to develop novel preventive and therapeutic strategies to protect against bacterial infection. Our work focuses on both the factors used by bacteria to establish colonization and cause disease and how this is counteracted by the host inflammatory response to colonization and infection. We are working on several major research projects, including the study of the direct bactericidal activity of a human milk protein-lipid complex against various bacterial species as well as its adjuvant activity in sensitizing bacteria to a broad range of common antibiotics to provide novel therapeutic strategies against respiratory and other infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Assistant Professor of Biology, Northeastern University
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Our lab investigates the molecular basis of antibiotic resistance and disease development in infections with hospital-acquired pathogens. Our primary focus is the troublesome microbe Acinetobacter baumannii, a frequent cause of pneumonia and sepsis in intensive care units that has developed resistance to virtually all clinically useful antibiotics. We examine unique strategies used by the pathogen to build and fortify its cell envelope, including regulatory networks hardwired to amplify resistance and virulence upon detection of antimicrobial stress. We employ a variety of tools ranging from systems biology and molecular genetics to animal models of infection. Long-term, we will exploit these strategies as targets for novel therapies against nosocomial diseases.

Vice President of Business & Science Development, Echelon Biosciences, Inc. and Frontier Scientific, Inc.
Webssite (Wikipedia)

I work in the areas of drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, and the development of therapeutic agents, a career which began in 1987 during my postdoctoral training under Dr. Stuart Levy at Tufts University.  I joined Paratek Pharmaceuticals, inc., cofounded by Dr. Levy and Harvard’s Dr. Walter Gilbert, at its inception in 1996, and we created over 3,000 new derivatives of the tetracycline family of chemotherapeutics that resulted in clinical compounds progressing towards commercialization. The drugs Nuzyra and Seysara were FDA-approved in 2018 for severe infections, anthrax and severe acne, and our team won the American Chemical Society Heroes of Chemistry award in 2019 for this work. My current research is directed at modulating alpha-proteobacteria and related mitochondria and their signaling processes, and new compounds are in pre-clinical studies affecting activated immune cells showing promise against the secondary effects of stroke, hypoxia and neurodegeneration. I hold over forty patents and have numerous publications and reviews in the areas of drug design, antibiotics, and drug discovery.

Assistant Professor, Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health,
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
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I use genomic and epidemiological approaches to understand how exposures to food, animals, and the environment can impact human colonization and infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, particularly in low-resource settings. Currently, I am exploring whether nutritional or behavioral interventions could improve young children’s gut colonization resilience against resistant pathogens.

Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Global Health, Boston University
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Our lab’s research in the global health arena focuses on antimicrobial resistance, One Health integrated solutions and improved testing of drug quality in relations of health equity and antimicrobial resistance. Our work in the lab works closely with work in the field and in the policy domain for rich understanding and efficient implementation. Recent work has also focused on access to better healthcare for refugees and marginalized populations and the role engineers can play in improving the health of the most vulnerable people. Our students come from not just engineering but also public health, social sciences and humanities to collectively address some of the most pressing global problems in access to health and health equity. We are also interested in issues of science literacy and broader engagement of the public. My recent book, “Biography of Resistance,” is an effort in that direction.

Associate Professor of Biology, Boston College
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Our lab focuses on the development and application of experimental and computational Systems Biology tools to study infectious diseases as complete systems while in interaction with their environment (e.g. the host and/or drugs). Our ultimate goal is to develop approaches to predict and detect the emergence of (drug-resistant) infectious diseases and strategies to eradicate them. To achieve this, we employ a unique mixture of approaches from the fields of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Computer Science, including a variety of sequencing strategies, microfluidics, robotic automation, immune system monitoring, in vivo disease models, computational modeling and machine learning.