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Microbiology and Immunology continue to be incredibly exciting scientific disciplines! The explosion of new technology has provided intriguing new insights into pathogen-host interactions and the corresponding innate and acquired immune responses that inspire wonder in investigators. The exquisite biochemical sensing abilities of microbes to know their location in the human body and to be able to navigate to their preferred niche while fencing with immune effectors is fascinating. Despite the frustrations of information overload and how to deal with it, it is a fun time to be a scientist! Importantly, we have newer tools with which to design our experiments such that we can better answer the questions we are asking and ultimately translate the knowledge to more effective patient care. Oftentimes it requires we have the courage to take the path less traveled.

Introduction

The intellectual capital that defines an institution is its faculty and that is reflected in the Department of Microbiology. There are currently 6 full-time faculty and 2 part-time faculty whose expertises span the disciplines of Pathogenic Bacteriology, Virology, Mycology, Parasitology and Immunology. With the medical school now well-launched (66 students / class) and a continued strengthening of the clinical enterprise, the emphasis in the College of Medicine for the second 25 years will be on research. Generous contributions for the research enterprise from the Dean of the College of Medicine have led to the recruitment of strong new faculty and acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment. As a result, grant funding in Microbiology has more than quadrupled in the past 3 years. A Molecular Biology Core Facility was established in April 2001 and an Electron Microscopy Core Facility opened a year later. These two new facilities complement the Toxicology and BiaCore Facilites in the Department of Pharmacology (next door). In addition, the Department of Microbiology houses a Clinical Diagnostic Microbiology Laboratory, under the Directorship of Don Ferguson, which serves ETSU practicing physicians in the Tri-Cities, provides important training for Residents, and also serves as the reference laboratory for the whole of the Northeast Tennessee region. The Diagnostic Laboratory maintains a large repository of clinical isolates for supplementing basic research. A media preparation/dishwashing facility, headed by Jerry Keplinger, supports both the diagnostic laboratory as well as wet laboratory materials for teaching medical microbiology to 2nd year medical students.

Teaching

Historically, teaching has long been a strength at ETSU and Microbiology faculty have excelled in this arena. Jane Raulston won the prestigious Genesis Professor of the Year Award in the newly revised Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program in 2001 and Rob Schoborg won the Award in 2002. In the intervening years, our faculty have won the Biomedical Science Graduate Program Professor of the Year 5 additional times. Recognition of our teaching to 2nd year medical students has been equally stellar, including (i) Professor of the Year 12 times, and (ii) Department of the Year 3 times. Three of our faculty have won the Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award, and two of these faculty (Drs. Schoborg and Raulston) have gone on to win the prestigious ETSU Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award.

Research

Microbiology shares research space with Pharmacology, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pathology, OB/Gyn and Pediatrics, which provides a collegial interdisciplinary environment that is refreshing and has resulted in several funded multi-disciplinary collaborations. The Division of Laboratory Animal Resources occupies 15,000 sq.ft. on the 4th floor. Graduate and medical students, Postdoctoral Fellows and Residents are exposed to a variety of experimental strategies with emphasis on molecular biology, genetics, cellular microbiology and immunology. These complex disciplines are strengthened by new faculty bringing expertise in protein biochemistry, LPS and lipid biochemistry, microarray analyses, biofilms and 2 component signal transduction, as well as herpes - specific immunology and vaccines. In 2009, Dr. Russell Hayman was an invited guest speaker at the International Symposium on Bombyx-mori Functional Genomics and the Modern Silk Road in Chongqing, China.

Graduate students doing research in Microbiology often win major awards in the categories available at the Annual Student Research Forum day in April. Out of 6 divisions of competition, Microbiology Graduate Students have won 5 x 1st place Division and Oral Presentation awards and 3 x 2nd place awards. In addition, Mike Tran and Jenny Vanover Hall won 1st place in the coveted Research Forum Medical Student Choice Awards in their respective competitions. Microbiology Graduate Students have also excelled in other areas of opportunity over the past 5 years. At the university level, Microbiology students have been awarded 2 Student Grants and 2 Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Awards. National and International accomplishments include 3 Abstract Oral Presentations, 2 Society Travel Awards, and the 2007 Jane E. Raulston Memorial Poster Presentation at the CBRS meeting (Jenny Vanover Hall).

Service

Dr. Sophie Dessus-Babus won The Dean’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding service in the Molecular Biology Core Facility. In addition to the service provided by the Molecular Biology and Electron Microscopy Core Facilities and the Clinical Diagnostic Microbiology Laboratory, faculty serve on numerous College of Medicine and University committees and serve as full and ad hoc members of several NIH study sections. At the national and international levels, Jane Raulston was Chair of Division D for the American Society for Microbiology. Priscilla Wyrick served as President (2005-2007) of the Chlamydia Basic Research Society.

Click Here To See Our Recent Microbiology Department Awards