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University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Logo University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
College of Medicine: Department of Microbiology and Immunology
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  • About
    • Campus, City, and State
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  • Faculty
    • Primary Faculty
      • Jon Blevins, Ph.D.
      • Youssef Aachoui, Ph.D.
      • Karl Boehme, Ph.D.
      • Martin Cannon, Ph.D.
      • Mohamed O. Elasri, Ph.D.
      • Craig Forrest, Ph.D.
      • Lu Huang, Ph.D.
      • Clay Jackson-Litteken, Ph.D.
      • Lin-Xi Li, Ph.D.
      • Matthew Jorgenson, Ph.D.
      • Chia Lee, Ph.D.
      • Jia Liu, Ph.D.
      • Mark Manzano, Ph.D.
        • Manzano Lab
          • Team
          • Publications
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          • Virology Lab Meeting (Spring ’25)
          • Join Us
      • Mark Smeltzer, Ph.D.
      • Jason Stumhofer, Ph.D.
      • Daniel E. Voth, Ph.D.
        • Voth Lab
      • Tiffany Weinkopff, Ph.D.
      • Xuming Zhang, Ph.D.
  • Staff
    • Administrative Staff
    • Postdoctoral Fellows
      • Marena Guzman, Ph.D.
      • Changhoon Oh, Ph.D.
      • Shana Owens, Ph.D.
    • Research Staff
  • Graduate Program
    • Ph.D. & M.D./Ph.D. Rotations in MBIM Track
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    • Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Host Inflammatory Responses
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      • Cores
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    • DNA Sequencing Core Facility
      • Preparing Your Samples for Submission (Sanger)
      • Submitting Samples (Sanger)
      • Recommendations, Downloads, and Useful Links (Sanger)
      • TapeStation 4150
      • NextSeq 2000 (Illumina)
      • Covaris ME220
    • Flow Cytometry Core Facility
      • Training and Education
      • Protocols and Reagents
        • Immunofluorescence Staining for Immunotyping
        • Cell Cycle Staining using PI
        • Sorting and Staining Buffers
        • Lysing red blood cells
      • Sample Submission
        • Appointments and Pricing
        • Sample Preparation
      • Instruments
        • BD FACS Symphony- 16 Color Self Service Cytometer
        • BD LSRFortessa- 16 color cytometer
        • Cytek Aurora CS-cell sorter
        • BD FACS Celesta-12 color self-service cytometer
        • Cytek Northern Lights-Full Spectrum Cytometer
        • Hematology Analyzer-VETSCAN HM5
      • Data Analysis and Citation
    • Next Generation Sequencing
      • Small Genome Sequencing
      • 16S Metagenomics
      • RNA-Seq
    • iLab-External
    • iLab-UAMS
  • Resources
    • Arkansas Tick-Borne Pathogen Surveillance Program
    • Microbiology & Immunology Research Seminar
  1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  2. College of Medicine
  3. Department of Microbiology and Immunology
  4. Graduate Program
  5. Graduate Students

Graduate Students

Het Adhvaryu
Het Adhvaryu
Email: HRAdhvaryu@uams.edu

NIH Graduate Partnerships Program

B.S. in Biology – Molecular Biotechnology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Hometown: Surat, GJ, India
Mentor: Dr. Daniel E. Voth
Research: Defining Human Macrophage Metabolic and Stress Responses to Coxiella burnetii

Tyler Appell
Tyler Appell
Email: KTAppell@uams.edu

B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harding University
Hometown: Jackson, TN
Mentor: Dr. Roger D. Pechous
Research: Studying regulation of essential virulence determinants in Yersinia pestis

Lidia Belete
Lidia Belete
Email: LBelete@uams.edu

B.S. in Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Hometown: Marion, AR
Mentor: Dr. En Huang
Research: Antibiotic resistance and phage therapy in bacteria

Lucus Carreira
Lucus Carreira
Email: ALCarreira@uams.edu

B.S. in Biology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Hometown: Bella Vista, AR
Mentor: Dr. Mark Manzano
Research: Latency regulation of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus

LeKivia Cobb
LeKivia Cobb
Email: LCCobb@uams.edu

B.S. in Biology, University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff
Hometown: Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Mentor: Dr. Karl Boehme
Research: Pathogenesis of Mammalian orthoreovirus

Grant Dawson
Grant Dawson
Email: GTDawson@uams.edu

Training in Systems Pharmacology and Toxicology (SPaT) T32 NIGMS Fellowship

B.S. in Biology, Arkansas State State University
Hometown: East End, AR
Mentor: Dr. Lu Huang
Research: Lung Macrophage Metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection

Lucy Fry
Lucy Fry
Email: LFry@uams.edu

Marie Chow Memorial Research Awardee
Training in Systems Pharmacology and Toxicology (SPaT) T32 NIGMS Fellowship
The AAI Careers in Immunology Fellowship

B.S. in Biochemistry, Florida State University
Hometown: Windermere, Fl
Mentor: Dr. Tiffany Weinkopff
Research: Host responses to Leishmania

Alison Gouch
Alison Gouch
Email: ARGouch@uams.edu

B.S. in Biology (Minor in Chemistry), Cleveland State University
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Mentor: Dr. Jason Stumhofer
Research: Host immune response to Plasmodium parasites

Hazeslip
Lindsey Hazeslip
Email: LHazeslip@uams.edu

B.S. Chemistry (ACS certified Biochemistry), University of Central Arkansas
Hometown: Cabot, AR
Mentor: Dr. Karl Boehme
Research: The role of pyroptosis in mammalian orthoreovirus (reovirus) induced myocarditis.

Jessy Hernandez
Jessy Hernandez Flores
Email: JHernandezFlores@uams.edu

B.S. in Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Mentor: Dr. J. Craig Forrest
Research: Host response to Gammaherpesvirus infection

Brandon Hogland
Brandon Hogland
Email: BHogland@uams.edu

B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Harding University
Hometown: Rowlett, Texas
Mentor: Dr. Jon Blevins
Research: Cyclic dinucleotide-dependent signaling and pathogenesis in the relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia turicatae

Meghan Jones
Meghan Jones, M.S.
Email: MDJones@uams.edu

Training in Systems Pharmacology and Toxicology (T-SPaT) T32 NIGMS Fellowship
Marie Chow Memorial Research Awardee

B.S. in Biology, University of Arkansas
M.S. in Biology, University of Central Arkansas
Hometown: El Dorado, AR
Mentor: Dr. Jason Stumhofer
Research: Our lab focuses on the immune response to Plasmodium infection.

Clayton Matthews
Clayton Matthews, M.S.
Email: CTMatthews@uams.edu

B.S. in Microbiology, University of Oklahoma
M.S. in Microbial and Cellular Biology, Emporia State University
Hometown: Edmond, OK
Mentor: Dr. Karl Boehme
Research: Mammalian orthoreovirus pathogenesis

Murdock
Steven Murdock, Jr.
Email: SJMurdock@uams.edu

B.S.: Virginia State University
Hometown: Bryant, AR
Mentor: Dr. Forrest
Research: Host Response to Gammaherpesvirus Infections

Penthala
Chandra Penthala
Email: CPenthala@uams.edu

B.S. Molecular Biotechnology, B.A. Chemistry, University of Arkansas, Little Rock
Hometown: Hyderabad, India
Mentors: Dr. J. Craig Forrest, Dr. Mark Manzano
Research: Studying the role of Peroxisomes in MHV68 infection

Katie Pierce
Katie Pierce, M.S.
Email: KPierce@uams.edu

NIH Graduate Partnerships Program

B.S. in Human Biology, Indiana University
M.S. in Biology, Louisiana Tech University
Hometown: Fishers, IN
Mentor: Dr. Daniel E. Voth
Research: Manipulation of Stress Signaling During Early Infection by Coxiella burnetii in Macrophages

Emily Robbs
Emily Robbs, M.S.
Email: EJRobbs@uams.edu

B.S. in Biology, Auburn University of Montgomery
M.S. in Biology, University of West Florida
Hometown: Dothan, AL
Mentor: Dr. Matthew Jorgenson
Research: Investigating the bacterial surface using Escherichia coli to find new
ways to exploit its properties

Dennis Rogers
Dennis Rogers
Email: DwRogers@uams.edu

B.S. in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno
Hometown: Sparks, NV
Mentor: Dr. Jon Blevins 
Research: Bacterial regulatory networks that contribute to pathogenesis and environmental adaptation of relapsing fever Borrelia

Madeleine Scott
Madeleine Scott
Email: MScott@uams.edu

B.A.: Hendrix College, French and Biology
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Mentor: Dr. Pechous
Research: Our laboratory uses molecular tools to dissect the pathogenesis of pneumonic plague in detail by focusing on several primary areas: 1. Identification of bacterial factors that contribute to infection; 2. characterizing direct host/pathogen interactions in vivo during infection; and 3. characterizing host responses to pulmonary infection. Currently, I am investigating how integration of the EF-Tu-like GTPase BipA into the ribosome during infection impacts protein production and alters virulence.

Spears
Todd Spears, M.S.
Email: TJSpears@uams.edu

Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) T32 NIGMS Trainee

M.S. in Biology, University of Louisiana, Monroe
B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry, University of Louisiana, Monroe
Hometown: West Monroe, Louisiana
Mentor: Dr. Youssef Aachoui
Research: Innate immunity in the context of host-pathogen interactions, using an autoinflammatory animal model for Familial Mediterranean Fever and Yersinia spp

Alexx Weaver
Alexx Weaver
Email: AWeaver3@uams.edu

Marie Chow Memorial Research Awardee

B.S. in Biotechnology, Arkansas State University
B.S. in Biology (emphasis in Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology), Arkansas State University
Hometown: Lonoke, AR
Mentor: Dr. J. Craig Forrest
Research: Investigating non-traditional vaccination strategies against Gammaherpesvirus

Zeltner
Sheldon Zeltner
Email: SZeltner@uams.edu

B.S. in Biology, University of Central Arkansas
Hometown: Midlothian, TX
Mentor: Dr. J. Craig Forrest
Research: Host response to Gammaherpesvirus and Plasmodium coinfection

UAMS College of Medicine LogoUAMS College of MedicineUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Mailing Address: 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
Phone: (501) 686-7000
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