March 2025
Dr. Mehrnaz Mesdaghi earned her MD and PhD from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and is an Associate Professor of Immunology at Shahid Beheshti University, Iran. She founded and directs the Allergy and Primary Immunodeficiency Lab at Mofid Children’s Hospital and oversees clinical research efforts there. Her research focuses on allergies, particularly eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders and food allergies, contributing significantly to understanding these conditions. Dr. Mesdaghi is the president of the Iranian Society of Immunology and council member of both FIMSA and IUIS, she is also an advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM fields.
Read more – Mehrnaz Mesdaghi
February 2025
Dr. Chijioke Umunnakwe (CJ) earned his PhD in Genetics and Bioinformatics from Iowa State University, USA in 2014 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the NIH in 2020, focusing on HIV molecular virology. He is currently a Senior Research Scientist at Ndlovu Research Department in rural Limpopo, South Africa. CJ collaborates with University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht, Netherlands to leverage resources for expanding research capacity in resource-limited communities. His research includes HIV treatment, drug resistance monitoring, HIV reservoir and cure studies.
Read more – Chijioke Umunnakwe
January 2025
Dr Yanet Valdez Tejeira began her academic career at Universidad Nacional San Antonio de Abad del Cusco and earned her master’s in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru. She pursued her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Her career includes roles such as Senior Scientist at StemCell Technologies Inc. and Fulbright Chair in Public Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA. Dr. Valdez co-founded ImmunoLatinXs and is well-known and award-winning for her commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM fields. She is also a member of the International Union of Immunological Societies Education Committee.
Read more – Yanet Valdez Tejeira
