Immunology Graduate Program
Principles of immunology have been applied to create numerous preventative and curative therapeutics for many types of human disease. The Immunology Graduate Program, offered by MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School (GSBS), is designed to provide high-quality, comprehensive education and research training in the exciting field of immunology, allowing graduates to successfully pursue careers as independent investigators in academia or industry.
We currently have 51 faculty members from both MD Anderson and The University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston representing 26 departments. Collectively, research conducted by our faculty reflects the complexity and diversity of the immune system. Main areas of faculty research include cancer immunology, infectious diseases, and inflammation with special interests in innate responses, adaptive responses, immune regulation, development of prophylactic vaccines, and development of vaccines or immunotherapy for a form of cancer, allergy or autoimmunity. Faculty members are committed to fostering a highly interactive and supportive environment that enables students to complete our rigorous curriculum and receive advanced training in basic and translational immunology research.
News
MD Anderson immunologist Jim Allison awarded Nobel Prize.
Jim Allison, PhD., chair of Immunology and executive director of the immunotherapy platform at MD Anderson, has been awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for launching an effective new way to attack cancer by treating the immune system rather than the tumor.
Read more in the Newsroom.
Congratulations, Dr. Allison!
Student Recognition
Congratulations to these Immunology Program students for their accomplishments during the 2018-2019 Academic Year:
- Casey Ager (Advisor: Dr. Michael Curran): Recipient of the 2018 Jess Hay Chancellor’s Graduate Student Research Fellowship
- Swetha Anandhan (Advisor: Dr. Padmanee Sharma): Recipient of the George M. Stancel, PH.D. Fellowship in the Biomedical Sciences
- Akash Boda (Advisor: Dr. Michael Curran): Recipient of the Terry and Janet Klebe Fellowship
- Neima Briggs (Advisor: Dr. Jagannadha Sastry ) Recipeint of the 2018 GSBS Presidents’ Research Scholarship
- Alexandria Cogdill (Advisors: Drs. Jennifer Wargo and James Allison): Recipient of a the American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research
- Alexandria Cogdill (Advisors: Drs. Jennifer Wargo and James Allison): Recipient of a the Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellowships
- Paulina Horton (Advisor: Dr. Pamela Wenzel): Recipient of Deans Excellence Scholarship
- Alexander Perakis (Advisor: Dr. Gheath Al-Atrash): Recipient of the Andrew Sowell-Wade Huggins Scholarship in Cancer Research
- Meaghan Roy-O’Reilly (Advisor: Dr. Louise McCullough): Recipient of the 2018 GSBS Presidents’ Research Scholarship
- Deborah Silverman (Advisor: Dr. Patrick Hwu ) Recipient of the American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research
- Shradha Wali (Advisor: Scott Evans) Recipient of the Wei Yu Family Endowed Scholarship
Students affiliated with legacy programs (i.e., those that existed before the GSBS program reorganization), may click here to find information about their program requirements.
Program Incentives
Individual Fellowship Incentive Program
- The GSBS Immunology Program has established an incentive program to encourage PhD students to apply for nationally competitive individual fellowships. This program will provide students with a $200 award for those who successfully submit a fellowship application and an additional $300 award for those who are successfully funded. Click here for more information regarding the Individual Fellowship Incentive Program.
Travel Awards
- Each year the GSBS Immunology Program provides funding to help students defray the costs of attending scientific meetings or courses. Students who are successfully awarded will receive $750 in travel funding. Click here for more information regarding travel awards.