Center for Immunology and Immune Based Diseases

  • T32 Training Grant Overview

    The objective of the University of Iowa Immunology Postdoctoral Training Program is to produce outstanding independent immunologist investigators that will pursue successful academic careers. The core of the program is a 90% time commitment to immunology research experience under the supervision of a preceptor who is an outstanding immunology researcher with current external research funding and enthusiasm for mentoring. 

    The preceptors who meet these criteria represent a broad range of basic research areas in molecular and cellular immunology, including lymphocyte activation, apoptosis, signal transduction, gene regulation, regulation of lymphocyte function by toll-like receptors, cytokines, viral immunology, cancer immunology, transplantation, host defense, allergic mechanisms, autoimmunity, neutrophil and macrophage biochemistry, gastrointestinal immunology, and pulmonary immunology. These 34 faculty, assigned as Mentors or Associate Mentors based on their postdoctoral training experience, represent 9 departments.  They function within an immunology research community of over 40 highly interactive immunology researchers.  

    Sophisticated technologies are accessible to all trainees through Core Laboratories and trainees are exposed to cutting edge research technologies through formal interactions with our “technical consultants”.  Trainees must hold a doctoral degree, such as an MD or PhD.  Candidates are sought by nationwide advertising and personal contact by Iowa immunologists, with specific effort directed to discovering and recruiting women and under represented minority candidates. Formal application requires a project description, statement of career goals, interview with the Admissions Committee and recommendation letters. The main criterion for selection is the probability that the candidate will develop into a productive independent immunology investigator, in the judgment of the Admissions Committee who make recommendations to the Program Director, Dr. Harty who also is advised by an Executive Committee of faculty mentors.  

    Trainee progress and career development are formally tracked by a tailored Postdoctoral Advisory Committee for each trainee and by the opportunities offered by the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars. Trainees also are able to choose formal didactic and seminar courses from a rich immunology and molecular biology curriculum and also take the Responsible Conduct of Research course. They attend weekly Immunology Seminars, presented by faculty and by prominent guest immunologists, with whom they personally interact. Trainees are required to present their work in this seminar series each summer.  The grant supports attendance at one scientific meeting each year. Trainees must submit at least one application for an individual fellowship for each year of funding.  If this application is not funded but progress is satisfactory, two years of research training are normally supported. For a third year, candidates must compete with first year applicants.

    Click here to apply. 

  • Participating Faculty Members

    Name/Degrees Rank Appointments Role in Program Research Interest
    John T. Harty, PhD  Professor Microbiology, Pathology Program Director T cell responses to infection
    Lee Ann Allen, PhD  Professor Internal Medicine, Microbiology Mentor Interactions of Helicobacter pylori with macrophages and neutrophils. Pathogenesis of Francisella tularensis.
    Michael A. Apicella, MD Professor Microbiology Mentor Role of Innate Immunity in human infection by pathogenic Neisseria and Haemophilus 
    Vladimir Badovinac, MD Assistant Professor Pathology Associate Mentor CD8 T-cell responses to infection and vaccination
    Zuhair K. Ballas, MD Professor Internal Medicine Mentor Basic: ontogeny and function of NK subsets; Applied: Tumor immunotherapy; Clinical: Primary immunodeficiency
    Gail A. Bishop, PhD  Professor Microbiology, Internal Medicine Mentor Molecular mechanisms of B lymphocyte activation by normal and viral oncogenic receptors
    Suzanne Cassel, MD Assistant Professor Internal Medicine Associate Mentor Innate immunity in Allergy and Immunology
    John Colgan, PhD  Assistant Professor Internal Medicine Associate Mentor Regulation of lymphocyte development and function
    David E. Elliott, MD, PhD  Professor Internal Medicine Mentor 1) Mechanisms of immune regulation by the anti-inflammatory neuropeptide somatostatin.  2) Regulation of mucosal and systemic inflammation by helminithic parasites.
    Polly Ferguson, MD Professor Pediatrics Mentor Genetic Aspects of Inflammatory Disorders
    Alex Horswill, PhD  Associate Professor Microbiology Mentor Innate sensing of Staphylococcal infections
    Jon Houtman, PhD  Associate Professor Microbiology Associate Mentor Mechanism of Signal Transduction in Human T Cells
    Stephen Hunter, MD, PhD  Professor Ob/Gyn  Mentor Diabetes in Pregnancy, Fetal Therapy, Vaccine Development, tissue engineering, preeclampsia, maternal phenylketonuria (PKU)
    Siegfried Janz, MD Professor Pathology Mentor Mouse models of human B cell and plasma cell neoplasmsStudy of the modulation of airway inflammatory responses in asthma
    Joel N. Kline, MD Professor Internal Medicine Mentor Study of the modulation of airway inflammatory responses in asthma
    Amy Lee, PhD  Associate Professor Physiology Mentor Voltage-gated (Cav) Ca2+ channels in cellular physiology
    Kevin L. Legge, PhD  Associate Professor Pathology, Microbiology Associate Mentor The role of respiratory dendritic cells (rDC) in initiating and regulating the T cell responses to pulmonary pathogens, in particular influenza virus
    Jeffrey Meier, MD Associate Professor Internal Medicine Mentor Immune Response to Cytomegalovirus
    Jessica Moreland, MD, PhD  Associate Professor Pediatrics Mentor The role of the anion channel ClC-3 in neutrophil function, including the interaction between ClC-3 and the NADPH oxidase
    Craig T. Morita, MD, PhD  Associate Professor Internal Medicine Mentor Human gdT cell recognition of nonpeptide antigens and CD1 
    William M. Nauseef, MD Professor Internal Medicine, Microbiology Mentor The molecular and cell biology of human neutrophil function
    Chioma Okeoma, PhD  Assistant Professor Microbiology Associate Mentor Intracellular defenses against retroviral infections
    Stanley Perlman, MD, PhD  Professor Microbiology Mentor Role of Immune Cells in virus induced demyelination
    Patrick Schlievert, Ph.D. Professor and Head Microbiology Mentor Molecular Pathogenesis, Drug Discovery, and Immunology; Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococci and Enterococci
    Annette Schlueter, MD, PhD  Professor Pathology Mentor Dendritic cell (DC) function in aging and disease states including alcoholism and graft-versus-host disease.
    Fayyaz S. Sutterwala, MD, PhD  Assistant Professor Internal Medicine Associate Mentor Biology of the NOD-like receptor family in infection and inflammation.
    Aliye Uc, MD Associate Professor Pediatrics Associate Mentor Regulatory and protective roles of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) against gut inflammation and oxidative stress
    Steven M. Varga, PhD  Associate Professor Microbiology, Pathology Associate Mentor Viral immunology and immunopathology
    George J. Weiner, MD Professor Internal Medicine, Cancer Center Mentor Novel approaches to cancer immunotherapy including the evaluation of monoclonal antibody therapy, and new strategies for tumor immunization
    Jerrold P. Weiss, PhD  Professor Internal Medicine, Microbiology Mentor Neutrophils in host defense
    Mary E. Wilson, MD Professor Internal Medicine, Microbiology Mentor Immunobiology of infection with the protozoan parasite, Leishmania chagasi 
    Hai-Hui Xue, MD, PhD  Assistant Professor Microbiology Associate Mentor Transcriptional control of hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and its differentiation to antigen-responding T cells
    Nicholas Zavazava, MD, PhD  Professor Internal Medicine Mentor Mechanisms and molecular basis of transplantation tolerance; use of embryonic stem cells as tolerogens.