THE JOHN R. LAMONTAGNE LECTURE SERIES

2024 LaMontagne Lecture - March 26, 2024, 3:00 p.m.
Recorded Lecture: https://video.ibm.com/recorded/133458443

Dr. Andrew Pekosz, Ph.D. was the keynote speaker at the 2024 John Ring LaMontagne Annual Keynote Lecture and Symposium which was held March 26, 2024 on the UT Campus. The title of his lecture was Virus Surveillance and the Identification of Novel Genetic Mutations that Facilitate Virus Circulation.

Dr. Pekosz is Professor and Vice Chair at the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology in the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. He is also Co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR) and Director of the Center for Emerging Viruses and Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins.

As a virologist, Dr. Pekosz researches the interaction of viruses such as influenza, SARS-CoV-2, hantavirus, enterovirus D68 and other emerging viruses with the respiratory epithelium. National media has frequently quoted Dr. Pekosz for his expertise related to the implications of COVID-19.

Dr. Pekosz is also particularly interested in identifying viral and cellular factors that are important for efficient replication of canine, equine and avian influenza A virus strains to human respiratory epithelial cells. In addition, he pursues a better understanding of how viruses can counteract antiviral innate and adaptive immune responses. By identifying the viral proteins that control the host immune response, he hopes to gain a better understanding of how viruses can establish an infection and identify the key host proteins that play a role in controlling virus replication and the immune response to viral infection.

For more information about Dr. Pekosz and his work, please click here.