Opportunistic fungal infections represent major causes of morbidity and mortality despite the administration of antifungal therapy. A better mechanistic understanding of host-fungal interactions will inform the development of improved immune-based strategies for the prevention, risk stratification, prognostication, vaccination, and treatment of vulnerable patient populations. In the Fungal Pathogenesis Section (FPS), we use an integrated bench-to-bedside multidisciplinary approach encompassing immunology, mycology, and genetics to investigate protection against and susceptibility to pathogenic fungi. We evaluate large cohorts of patients with inherited or acquired susceptibility to fungal disease and study antifungal immune responses in vitro and in vivo in a variety of clinically relevant mouse models of fungal disease. Thus, we employ various immunological, biological, and imaging approaches to measure biological determinants of disease outcomes in humans and mice. Our research directly informs clinically actionable interventions, including developing targeted preventive and therapeutic interventions in at-risk patients.
Michail Lionakis, M.D., Sc.D.
Chief, Fungal Pathogenesis Section
Deputy Chief, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology
Specialty(s): Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine Provides direct clinical care to patients at NIH Clinical Center
Education:
M.D., Sc.D., University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece

Princess Barber, M.S.N.
Case Manager
Education:
M.S.N., Walden University
B.S., Nursing, Columbia Union College

Tom Dimaggio, R.N.
Nurse
Education:
R.N., Frederick Community College

Lucas Dos Santos Dias, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist
Education:
Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Wisconsin

Eliezer Heller, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow
Education:
B.S., 2023, Yeshiva University

Shen-Huan Liang, Ph.D.
Visiting Fellow
Education:
Ph.D., Pathobiology, Brown University

Ashira Lubkin, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Education:
M.D., Ph.D., New York University
B.S., Columbia University

Sebastian Ochoa, M.D.
Clinical Fellow, Allergy and Immunology
Education:
M.D., CES University School, Medellin, Colombia

Joe Pechacek, M.S., M.D.
Clinical Fellow, Infectious Diseases
Education:
Residency, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Pittsburg Medical Center
M.D., Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
M.S., Georgetown University
B.S., Biology, The George Washington University

Brendan Snarr, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow
Education:
Ph.D., McGill University
B.S., Biochemistry, University of Victoria

Taura Webb, C.R.N.P.
Nurse
Education:
M.S., Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate, Bellarmine University

Andrew Wishart, M.Sc.
Contractor
Education:
B.Sc. (Honors), M.Sc., Medical Biochemistry, University of Cape Town

Former Research Group Members
- Michael Abers, M.D., Assistant Clinical Investigator, Chief, Opportunistic Bacterial Pathogenesis Unit, LCIM, NIAID, NIH
- Timothy Break, Scientist I, Meso Scale Diagnostics, Rockville, Maryland
- Amanda Collar, M.D.-Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, New Mexico
- Gregory Constantine, M.D., Staff Clinician, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases (LPD), NIAID, NIH
- Shiva Deljookorani, B.S., Medical School, University of Maryland
- Jigar Desai, M.S., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack University Medical Center, New Jersey
- Rebecca Drummond, Birmingham Fellow, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy / Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
- Elise Ferré, MPH, PA-C, Clinical Analyst, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), FDA, Maryland
- Yannis Hadjiyannis, B.Sc., Medical School, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
- Ahnika Kline, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology; Associate Director, Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, UCSD, California
- Mukil Natarajan, Medical Officer, Office of Antimicrobial Products, Center for Drug Evaluation, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland
- Vasileios Oikonomou, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Italy
- Stacey Rose, Assistant Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases, Associate Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
- Monica Schmitt, C.R.N.P., Clinical Analyst, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), FDA, Maryland
- Daisuke Yamanaka, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Japan
- Marissa Zarakas, D.D.S., M.D., Internal Medicine Resident, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania