Department of Infectious Diseases, Center for Vaccines and Immunology
Professor, GRA Eminent Scholar in Immunology and Translational Biomedicine
Expertise
Infectious Diseases | Animal Models of Human Disease | Immunology | Microbiology | Vaccinology | Virology
Biography
Karen Norris, PhD, received her doctorate in biomedical sciences and microbiology from Wright State University School of Medicine and completed post-doctoral training at The Scripps Research Institute. Dr. Norris was appointed as Assistant Professor in Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, then joined the newly formed Department of Immunology at Pitt in 2002. In 2016, Dr. Norris was named Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Translational Medicine and Immunology and became a member of the University of Georgia Center for Vaccines and Immunology. Dr. Norris is a Professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Norris conducts research in immunology and infectious diseases with emphasis on vaccine development, co-morbidities and opportunistic infections associated with HIV infection, chronic immune activation and aging. She has developed a team of investigators and collaborators who provide expertise in all aspects of these studies including veterinary, pulmonary, cardiology, pathology, immunology, radiology, virology and immunology. Current areas of investigation are development of vaccines and immunotherapeutics for invasive fungal infections and respiratory viral infections, including Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. Specific interests include immunity and vaccine responsiveness in immunocompromised individuals
Research Interests
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases
- Vaccine and immunotherapeutic treatments for fungal infections
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)- maternal/fetal immunity
- HIV associated comorbidities
- Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); Immune-mediated mechanisms of pathogenesis
- Immunity in high risk populations
Selected Publications