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MVM Retreat

The 13th Annual MVM Retreat Day will take place on Friday, April 21, 2017 at the University Club, located at 123 University Place.

Please check here for updated information.

Curtailing the spread of infectious disease traditionally has been accomplished through use of vaccines, antibiotics, antiviral drugs and public health measures. But in the face of challenges like drug-resistant microbes and the emergence of HIV, future answers hinge on progressive research in molecular virology and microbiology.

The University of Pittsburgh has a long and storied history in microbiology. The school was instrumental in the development of the first polio vaccine, the discovery or bacterial pili, and the identification of Legionella pneumophila as the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease. Today, Molecular Virology and Microbiology faculty address a diverse array of contemporary issues relating to the molecular mechanisms governing pathogen-host interactions.

Current investigations include the study of gene expression, mechanisms of persistence and pathogenesis, the host immune response, molecular-based strategies to combat infectious disease and the use of viruses as vectors for human gene therapy. This results in providing students a comprehensive interdisciplinary background in modern molecular virology and microbiology with a strong underpinning in molecular biology, immunology and biochemistry.

The goals of the annual retreat of the Molecular Virology and Microbiology Graduate Program are threefold:

  • to provide discipline-leading distinguished speakers to present their contemporary research in the fields of molecular virology and microbiology;
  • to provide the MVM program students and post-doctoral fellows an opportunity to present their own research to their peers and faculty within the program;
  • to encourage the interaction between students, post-doctoral fellows and faculty within the MVM program in both a scientific and social context.