Bacteriophage Program Committee

Dr Maxwell completed her PhD in Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto, where she worked in Dr. Marvin Gold’s lab studying the assembly of bacteriophage lambda. Her postdoctoral work was done at the Ontario Centre for Structural Genomics where she led a project focused on phage structural genomics. She then moved to a Research Associate position at the Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto before starting in the Department of Biochemistry as an Assistant Professor in 2016.

(Updated July 18, 2024)

Prof Penadés has transformed our comprehension of phage-mediated genetic transduction by identifying 2 novel modes: lateral transduction and lateral cotransduction. His research revealed the extraordinary mobility of bacterial chromosomes, exceeding the capabilities of traditionally known mobile elements. This led to a redefinition of mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Additionally, Prof Penadés discovered and explained the transfer mechanism of a widespread and clinically important family of MGEs, the Phage-Inducible Chromosomal Islands, providing new insights into microbial physiology, pathogenesis, and evolution.

Prof Penadés is Fellow of the Royal Society and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and a distinguished member of the European Academy of Microbiology, and the European Molecular Biology Organisation, honoring his significant contributions to the field.

(Updated July 18, 2024)

Dr Pride received his undergraduate degree in biology from Wake Forest University and entered the MSTP program at Vanderbilt University. He received his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Vanderbilt University in the laboratory of Dr Martin Blaser and completed his MD at New York University. He finished his medical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Internal Medicine, and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Stanford University. He then moved to The University of California San Diego (UCSD) and serves as the Director of the Clinical Molecular Microbiology Laboratory and as the Associate Director of the Microbiology Laboratory. He also runs a research laboratory dedicated to human microbiome and human virome work. Dr Pride also collaborates with the Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics at UCSD and has been working to understand how we might better understand the interactions between phages and their host bacteria for phage therapy. Dr Pride's other major interests are in developing diagnostic tests for infectious diseases, and in understanding the role of microbial communities in human health and disease.

(Updated July 18, 2024)

Dr Suh is an Infectious Diseases specialist at Mayo Clinic with expertise in the field of Orthopedic Infectious Diseases and phage therapy. Dr Suh created the Musculoskeletal-ID program, a multi-disciplinary program encompassing ID, Orthopedics, Plastics, and Vascular surgery at Stanford University. Dr Suh is the founder and director of Mayo’s Phage Therapy Program and has a special interest in bacteriophages and lysins as novel therapeutics for the treatment of infections, particularly multidrug resistant and biofilm-mediated infections. She treated Mayo’s first phage therapy patients and is heading efforts to run phage-related clinical trials.

(Updated July 18, 2024)

Dr Turner is the Rachel Carson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) at Yale University and a Microbiology faculty member at Yale School of Medicine. He obtained a BA in Biology (1988) from University of Rochester, a PhD in Microbial Evolution (1995) from Michigan State University, and did postdoctoral fellowships at the National Institutes of Health, University of Valencia in Spain, and University of Maryland-College Park before joining Yale in 2001. Dr Turner previously served as Director of Graduate Studies and Chair of EEB and as Interim Dean of Science. He currently serves as Director of the Center for Phage Biology and Therapy at Yale and also directs Yale’s Quantitative Biology Institute. Dr Turner studies evolutionary genetics of viruses, particularly phages (bacteria-specific viruses) that infect bacterial pathogens and RNA viruses transmitted by mosquitoes, and he researches the use of phages to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial diseases. He is very active in science-communication outreach to the general public and is involved in the Yale National Initiative, where faculty collaborate with K-12 teachers to improve STEMM education in underserved public schools. Dr Turner’s current service includes the National Science Foundation’s Bio Advisory Committee and President of the International Society for Evolution, Medicine and Public Health. His honors include Fellowships in the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and American Academy of Microbiology.

(Updated July 18, 2024)

Dr Van Tyne completed her undergraduate work at Vassar College, followed by PhD studies at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She then pursued postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and joined the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor in July 2018. The Van Tyne lab studies how bacteria evolve during human infection and develops new approaches for treating antibiotic-resistant infections. She is the Chair of the Phage Biology and Discovery Working Group of the Pittsburgh Phage Project.

(Updated July 18, 2024)