Resume

• 2014

  Post Doctoral Fellowship

  Stanford University

  Science and Engineering Course Design

  Preparation & Practice: Biotech Business & Finance

• 2008

  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

  My dissertation work focused on mechanisms used by pathogenic Francisella species and Acinetobacter baumannii use to evade the host immune response to replicate and cause disease.

  Microbiology and Immunology

  Emory University

• 2003

  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

  Biopsychology (Neuroscience)

  Agnes Scott College

• Animal Models

  Research

  Biochemistry

  Science

  Antibiotic Resistance

  Laboratory

  RT-PCR

  Western Blotting

  Molecular & Cellular Biology

  Microbiology

  Electron Microscopy

  Molecular Biology

  PCR

  Cell Culture

  Innate Immunity

  Molecular Cloning

  Cell Biology

  Tissue Culture

  Fluorescence Microscopy

  Complement pathway amplifies caspase-11-dependent cell death and endotoxin-induced sepsis severity.

  Complement pathway amplifies caspase-11-dependent cell death and endotoxin-induced sepsis severity.

  A link between biotin and rapid phagosomal escape in Francisella

  Colistin Heteroresistance in Enterobacter cloacae Is Associated with Cross-Resistance to the Host Antimicrobial Lysozyme

  Rogier Louwen

  Increasing the integrity of the bacterial envelope is necessary to allow the successful survival of bacterial pathogens within the host and allow them to counteract damage caused by membrane-targeting antibiotics. We demonstrate that components of a clustered

  regularly interspaced

  short palindromic repeats–CRISPR associated (CRISPR-Cas) system

  a prokaryotic defense against viruses and foreign nucleic acid

  act to regulate the permeability of the bacterial envelope

  ultimately providing these cells with the capability to resist membrane damage caused by antibiotics. This regulation further allows bacteria to resist detection by multiple host receptors to promote virulence. Overall

  this study demonstrates the breadth of function of CRISPR-Cas systems in regulation

  antibiotic resistance

  innate immune evasion

  and virulence.

  A CRISPR-Cas system enhances envelope integrity mediating antibiotic resistance and inflammasome evasion

  A Francisella virulence factor catalyses an essential reaction of biotin synthesis.

  Association of IS1016 with the hia adhesin gene and biotypes V and I in invasive nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae.

  Subversion of host recognition and defense systems by Francisella spp.

  Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) inhibits Abl1

  c-Kit

  and related protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and serves as a therapeutic for chronic myelogenous leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Imatinib also has efficacy against various pathogens

  including pathogenic mycobacteria

  where it decreases bacterial load in mice

  albeit at doses below those used for treating cancer. We report that imatinib at such low doses unexpectedly induces differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors in the bone marrow

  augments myelopoiesis but not lymphopoiesis

  and increases numbers of myeloid cells in blood and spleen. Whereas progenitor differentiation relies on partial inhibition of c-Kit by imatinib

  lineage commitment depends upon inhibition of other PTKs. Thus

  imatinib mimics “emergency hematopoiesis

  ” a physiological innate immune response to infection. Increasing neutrophil numbers by adoptive transfer sufficed to reduce mycobacterial load

  and imatinib reduced bacterial load of Franciscella spp.

  which do not utilize imatinib-sensitive PTKs for pathogenesis. Thus

  potentiation of the immune response by imatinib at low doses may facilitate clearance of diverse microbial pathogens.

  Low Doses of Imatinib Induce Myelopoiesis and Enhance Host Anti-microbial Immunity

  Faculty of 1000

  Clinical use of colistin induces cross-resistance to host antimicrobials in Acinetobacter baumannii

  Bina

  J.E.

  Jones

  C.L.

  Replication Screen Identifies a Novel Francisella Hydroperoxide Resistance Protein Involved in Virulence.

  NaxD is a deacetylase required for lipid A modification and Francisella pathogenesis

  Hosted speakers. Coordinated flight and taxi schedules for visiting speakers. Also assisted in acquiring hotel accommodations.

  Elizabeth Ohneck

  Anne Hotard

  Stanford University

  Science Writer

  Agnes Scott College

  Psychology Department

  Emory University

  Portland State University

  Portland

  Oregon Area

  Biology Department

  Assistant Professor

  Portland State University

  Emory University

  Emory University

  Ph.D. Student - David Weiss Laboratory

  Agnes Scott College

  We worked on a project that assessed basal and post-stress corticosterone (CORT) levels

  an indicator of stress and inverse indicator of memory

  in adolescent rats. We investigated how maternal separation affected the relationship between CORT levels and rat social dominance.

  Research Assistant - Barbara Blatchley Laboratory

  Agnes Scott College

  Psychology Department

  Atlanta

  GA and Greenbank

  WV

  SmallerQuestions.org

  Science Writer

  Atlanta

  GA

  Lab Technician - Monica Farley Laboratory

  Emory University School of Medicine and Atlanta Veteran’s Hospital

  Stanford

  CA

  Post Doctoral Fellow - Denise Monack Laboratory

  Stanford University

  American Association of Immunologists

  American Association for the Advancement of Science

  English

  Katherine McCormick Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowship

  The Katharine McCormick Committee

  Stanford University

  NSF Graduate Fellowship Honorable Mention

  National Science Foundation

  The ITI Young Investigator Award

  Stanford Institute for Immunity

  Transplantation

  and Infection

  Young Investigator Novel Protocol Award

  Nature Protocols (Nature Publishing Group)

  Ruth I Kirschstein National Research Services Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32)

  NIAID - National Institute of Health

  Keystone Global Health Travel Award

  Cell Death Signaling in Cancer and the Immune System Keystone Symposium Travel Award

  Keystone and São Paulo Research Foundation