Jeff Reitano, a PhD student in the lab of Jorn Coers, PhD, has received the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Individual Predoctoral Fellows (F31), which provides stipend support to promising doctoral candidates during the dissertation research stage of training.
Reitano’s research interests lie in host-pathogen interactions and innate immunology. “I'm deeply grateful for this award, which will go a long way in helping us understand a basic innate immune response against bacterial infection and also define how Chlamydia trachomatis "sidesteps" this immune response,” he said. “Overall, I hope this research can help us better understand, treat, and prevent Chlamydia infection, while also providing new insights into the human immune system.”
The two-year award began November 14, 2024.
This award program is named after Ruth L. Kirschstein, MD, a polio vaccine researcher and the first woman to become director of a National Institutes of Health institute.