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.
Student Recognition
Congratulations to these Immunology Program students for their accomplishments during the 2021 Immunology Virtual Program Retreat:
Post-Candidacy Student Talk Winners
Anu Srinivasamani
Advisor: Dr. Michael Curran
“Deciphering the underlying biology and translational relevance of PDL2”
Heather Sonneman
Advisor: Dr. Gregory Lizee
“Determining the role of Vestigial-like 1 (VGLL1) in cancer tumorigenesis”
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Ethan (Ye) Li
Advisor: Dr. Katy Rezvani
"Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) Mediated Trogocytosisin Natural Killer Cells and its Impact on Self-killing and Tumor Antigen Escape”
Pre-Candidacy Student Talk Winners
Cheryl Jiang
Advisor: Dr. Katy Rezvani
“Combination therapy of oncolytic adenovirus with NK therapy for the treatment of aggressive solid tumors”
Meredith Frank
Advisor: Dr. Alexandre Reuben
"Phenotypic Characterization of Tumor-ReactveT Cells in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer”
Sumedha Pareek
Advisor: Dr. Keri Schadler
“Does exercise reduce immunosuppression in the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumor microenvironment?”
Congratulations to these Immunology Program students for their accomplishments during the 2020-2021 Academic Year:
- Swetha Anandhan (Advisor: Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD): Recipient of the 2020-2021 Schissler Foundation Fellowship; Recipient of the 2020-2021 Andrew Sowell-Wade Huggins Scholarships in Cancer Research
- Spencer Lea (Advisor: Michael Curran, PhD): Recipient of the 2020-2021 Deans Excellence Scholarship
- Ethan (Ye) Li (Advisor: Katy Rezvani, PhD): Recipient of the 2020-2021 Andrew Sowell-Wade Huggins Scholarships in Cancer Research
- Arthur Liu (Advisor: Michael Curran, PhD): Recipient of the 2020-2021 Marilyn and Frederick R. Lummis, Jr., M.D., Fellowship in Biomedical Sciences
- Jielin Liu (Advisor: Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD): Recipient of the 2020-2021 Jesse B. Heath, Jr. Family Legacy Award
- Parin Shah (Advisor: Chantale Bernatchez, PhD ): Recipient of the 2020-2021 Steve Lasher and Janiece Longoria Graduate Student Research Award in Cancer Biology
- Deborah Silverman (Advisor: Patrick Hwu, MD): Recipient of the 2021 Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellowship
- Anu Srinivasamani (Advisor: Michael Curran, PhD): Recipient of the 2020-2021 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.