Infectious Disease Fellowship Mentors

​​​​The following provides a list of our research mentors within and outside of the ID division.  Fellows may also work with approved mentors that are not included in these lists.​​ Search our interactive Mentor Database​. ​

Antimicrobial Resistance

​Name
​Department
​Research Interest
​Janelle Ayres, PhD
​Biology
​Evolutionary theory to understand microbe regulation of host physiology 
​Connie Benson, MD
​Medicine
​HIV/AIDS, viral hepatiti​s, influenza, TB clinical and translational research 
​John Bradley, MD
​Pediatrics
​Innovative therapies for bacterial and viral infections 
​Aaron Carlin, MD, PhD
​Medicine
​Emerging Infectious Diseases, Host-pathogen interactions, genome-wide approaches to understanding pathogenesis; developing novel diagnostics and antimicrobials
​Huitung Chu, PhD
​Pathology
​Commensal microbe communication with Immune System 
​Shane Crotty, PhD
​Medicine
​Vaccine Immunology 
​Pieter Dorrestein, PhD
​Skagg School of Pharmacy
​Mass Spectrometry characterization of metabolic interactions between cell populations 
​Stephanie Fraley, PhD
​Bioengineering
​Mechanisms of cell migration, developing clinical profiling technologies 
​Richard Gallo, MD

​Dermatology
​Skin biology and innate host defense 
​Jack Gilbert, PhD

​Pediatrics
​Hospital microbial community in disease transmission and AMR gene reservoir 
​Christopher Glass, MD, PhD

​Cellular and Molecular Medicine
​Regulation of inflammation 
​Rob Knight, PhD

​Pediatrics
​Computational Biology, Genomics, and Human Microbiome 
​Klaus Ley, MD

​Bioengineering
​Control of host inflammation in response to infection 
​Georgie Liu, MD, PhD

​Pediatrics
​Host pathogen interactions of MRSA, GBS, P. acnes 
​James McKerrow, MD, PhD

​Skaggs School of Pharmacy
​Discovery and Development of new drugs for neglected tropical diseases 
​Bradley Moore, PhD

​Skaggs School of Pharmacy
​Mechanisms in microbial antibiotic production, bioactive natural products 
​Victor Nizet, MD

​Pediatrics
​Bacterial Pathogenesis, Innate Immunity, novel approaches to combat AMR 
​Bernhard Palsson, PhD

​Bioengineering
​Systems Biology studies of genome to phenotype 
​Joseph Pogliano, PhD

​Biology
​Cell biological tools to study mechanisms of antibiotic targeting of essential cellular processes 
​David Pride, MD, PhD

​Pathology
​RNA and DNA virus contribution to pathogenesis and effect on host bacterial communities 
​Manuela Raffatellu, MD

​Pediatrics
​Immune response to mucosal pathogen infection 
​Tariq Rana, PhD

​Pediatrics

​RNA, stem cell, and chemical biology to discover pathways of human vial infections 
​George Sakoulas, MD

​Pediatrics
​Drug synergies with host innate immunity 
​Robert Schooket, MD

​Medicine
​Global Infectious Disease, antiviral nanotherapies, phage therapy 
​Sujan Shresta, PhD

​Medicine
​Immunology and Virology of mosquito-borne pathogens 
​Aleem Siddiqui, PhD

​Medicine
​Molecular Virology, hepatitus viruses and hepatocellular carcinoma 
​Nicole Steinmetz, PhD

​Nanoengineering
​Design, development, and testing of biologics derived from plant viruses 
​Gene Tan, PhD

​Medicine
​Virus-host interaction analyses 
​Elizabeth Winzeler, PhD

​Pediatrics
​Genome-wide methods identifying antimalarial drug resistance genes 
​Liangfang Zhang, PhD
​Nanoengineering
​Biomimetic nanomedicine for drug delivery, detoxification, and vaccination

HIV and Other Pandemics

​​Name
​Department
​Research Interest
​Laura Bamford, MD
 ​Medicine
 ​HIV and HCV treatment and prevention in individuals with a history of opioid use disorder and injection drug use​
​Connie Benson, MD
 ​Medicine
 ​Antiretrovirals therapeutics, TB and HIV-related coinfections and comorbidities ​
​Ajay Bharti, MD
 ​Medicine
 ​Adverse effects on brain function of co-infections such as hepatitis C, toxoplasmosis, malaria, and latent TB among persons living with HIV 
​Kimberly Brouwer, PhD
 ​School of Public Health
 ​HIV epidemiology, Social and spatial epidemiology among marginalized populations; access to care
​Aaron Carlin, Md, PhD
 ​Medicine
 ​Emerging Infectious Diseases, Host-pathogen interactions, genome-wide approaches to understanding pathogenesis; developing novel diagnostics and antimicrobials
​Sumit Chanda, PhD
 ​Sanford Burnham
 ​HIV-Host Interactions
​Shane Crotty, PhD
 ​​La Jolla Institue of Immunology
 ​CD4 T cell and germinal center responses to candidate HIV vaccines
​Victor DrGruttola, ScD
 ​Harvard Medicine
 ​Clinical and epidemiological research on HIV infection prevention and treatment
​Ronald Ellis, MD, PhD

 ​Neuroscience
 ​Neurological complications of HIV infection and substance use
​Richard Garfein, PhD, MPH

 ​School of Public Health
 ​Investigation and intervention on the infectious disease consequences of substance Use 
​Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

 ​Medicine
 ​Translational virology, molecular biology and immunology, viral co-infections 
​John Guatelli, MD

 ​Medicine
 ​The molecular virology and cell biology of two accessory genes of HIV-1: vpu and nef
​Scott Letendre, MD

 ​Medicine
 ​Pathogenesis and treatment of HIV comorbidities and neurologic infections
​Susan Little, MD

 ​Medicine
 ​Translational research related to transmission, prevention and pathogenesis of major viral pathogens 
​David Looney, MD

 ​Medicine
 ​Gene therapy of HIV/AIDS using lentiviral vectors expressing RNAs (ribozymes, antisense RNA or siRN
​Natasha Martin, PhD

 ​Medicine
 ​Epidemic and economic modeling of HIV and related infectious disease transmission and prevention 
​Sanjay Mehta, MD

 ​Medicine
 ​Molecular epidemiology of HIV 
​David Moore, PhD

 ​Psychiatry
 ​Co-occuring conditions among persons with HIV, including mood disorders and substance use 
​Sheldon, Morris MD

 ​Medicine
 ​PrEP, STD 
​Victor Nizet, MD

 ​Pediatrics
 ​Bacterial pathogenesis and the innate immune system, with focus on human streptococcal and staphylococcal infections and emerging antibiotic-resistant pathogens 
​Douglas Richman, MD

 ​Pathology
 ​HIV Latency
​Timothy Rodwell, MD

 ​Medicine
 ​Infectious disease diagnostics with an emphasis on the development and implementation of rapid molecular diagnostics for TB 
​Robert Schooley, MD

 ​Medicine
 ​Viral pathogenesis and therapy 
​Davey Smith, MD, MAD

 ​Medicine
 ​Sexual transmission of HIV, acute HIV infection, drug resistance, genetic networks, virology
​Jamila Stockman, PhD,MPH

 ​Medicine
 ​HIV prevention and treatment research in the context of gender-based violence, substance abuse, mental health, and socio-structural barriers 
​Steffanie Strathdee, PhD

 ​Medicine
 ​HIV prevention among substance using populations
​Joel Wertheim, PhD
 ​Medicine
 ​HIV molecular epidemiology

Epidemiology, Behavioral Science, Global Public Health​

​Name
​Department
​Research Interest
​John Ayers, PhD
​Medicine
​Online network and social media predictors of public health 
​Annick Borquez, PhD
​Medicine
​Substance use and HIV epidemiology 
​Angela Bazzi, PhD (nee Robertson)
​Medicine
​Improve the utilization of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention in PWID 
​Aaron Blashill, PhD
​SDSU Psychology
​Steroid use, sexual minorities, HIV risk behaviors 
​Kimberly Brouwer, PhD
​Family Medicine and Public Health
​HIV epidemiology, Spatial and molecular epidemiology among substance user. 
​Christina Chambers, PhD, MPH
​Pediatrics
​Environmental causes of birth defects 
​Heather Corliss, PhD, MPH
​SDSU Public Health
​Epidemiology of substance use & mental health, sexual minorities, stigma 
​Peter Davidson, PhD
​Medicine
​Harm reduction and HIV, overdose, research ethics, mixed methods 
​Victor DeGrutolla, ScD

​Family Medicine and Public Health
​Clinical and epidemiological research on HIV infection prevention and treatment 
​Rebecca Feilding-Miller, PhD

​Medicine
​Social and structural drivers of HIV, gender based violence, and COVID-19 in the United States and sub-Saharan Africa. 
​Tommy Gaines, PhD

​Medicine
​Statistical and spatial methodologies to examine patterns of infectious disease and illicit substance use 
​Richard Garfein, PhD

​Medicine
​Investigation and Intervention on the Infectious Disease Consequences of Substance Use 
​David Grelotti, MD

​Psychiatry
​Emergence of illicit drug cocktails mixed with ARVs, treatment of HIV psychosocial syndemics 
​Keith Horvath, PhD

​Psychology
​Health interventions to address the HIV prevention and care continuum for sexual minority men. 
​Sonia Jain, PhD

​Family Medicine and Public Health
​Biostatistics and clinical trials for HIV/infectious diseases populations 
​Susan Keine, PhD

​SDSU Public Health
​Alcohol and HIV prevention, substance use and HIV co-infections, maternal/child health
​Natasha Martin, PhD

​Medicine
​Epidemic and economic modeling of HIV and related infectious disease transmission and prevention 
​Thomas Patteron, PhD

​Psychiatry
​Behavioral interventions among substance users, RCT design and analysis, psychometrics 
​Heather Pines, PhD

​SDSU Medicine
​HIV/STI transmission dynamics among substance users, molecular epidemiology, Social network analyses 
​Eileen Pitpitan, PhD

SDSU Social Work
​Structural interventions, mediator/moderator analyses 
​Elizabeth Reed, ScD

​SDSU Public Health
​Evaluation of economic and structural interventions; HIV, gender-based violence, and substance use 
​Mark Reed, PhD

​SDSU Social Work
​Substance use etiology, young adult use trajectories, person-environment and gene-environment interactions and substance use 
​Yuyan Shi, PhD

​Public Health
​Regulatory, physical, economics, and marketing environments in relation to drug abuse and related consequences 
​Jay Silverman, PhD

​Medicine
​HIV risks related to sex trafficking and substance 
use, gender-based violence, adolescent HIV/STI prevention 
​Britt Skaathun, PhD

​Medicine
​Using social, sexual, substance and molecular networks for HIV prevention and care 
​David Smith, PD, MAS

​Medicine
​Sexual transmission of HIV, acute HIV infection, drug resistance, genetic networks, virology 
​Laramie Smith, PhD

​Medicine
​Access to HIV care among substance users 
​Steffanie Strathdee, PhD

​Medicine
​Epidemiology of bloodborne pathogens, injection drug use, 
design and evaluation of behavioral and structural interventions 
​David Strong, PhD

​Public Health
​Smoking, behavioral interventions, scale development 
​Jamila Stockman, PhD

​Medicine
​Gender-based violence and HIV; HIV and stress 
​Kiyomi Tsuyuki, PhD

​Medicine
​Socio-structural barriers and syndemic barriers to HIV testing, ART adherence, and HIV viral suppression 
​Lianne Urada, PhD

​SDSU Social Work
​Homelessness during COVID-19: Exploring the usability and effects of telehealth interventions on buprenorphine treatment 
​Vaida Florin, PhD

​Family Medicine and Public Health
​Mixed-effects models, proportional hazards mixed-effects models, model selection, and clinical trials 
​Tatyana Vasylyeva, PhD

​Medicine
​Phylodynamics and phylogeography to investigate how social, behavioral and biological factors affect HIV epidemics 
​Daniel Werb, PhD

​Medicine
​Initiation of drug use and HIV; drug policy evaluation 
​Adriane Wynn, PhD

​Medicine
​Harmful alcohol use, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections in resource-limited 
​Maria Zuniga, PhD​
​SDSU Socail Work
​Behavior among HIV+ Latino/a substance users, HIV stigma, qualitative analysis 
​

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