Research Programs
The Dartmouth Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program uses an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the ways in which arsenic and mercury in the environment affect ecosystems and human health. Results are communicated to communities, grass-roots organizations, and state and federal agencies, and students are trained to conduct research from both a clinical and community-based perspective.
The Immunology Program is a community of research groups focused in areas of immunity including viral immunity and pathogenesis, tumor immunology, innate immunity in infections and cancer, and autoimmunity. This is an interdepartmental program that trains both graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in cellular and molecular immunology.
Microbes have an enormous impact on human well-being as: (1) agents of infectious diseases of animals and plants, (2) commensal organisms of animal microbiomes that influence numerous and emerging aspects of human and plant health including many chronic diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease among others, and (3) critical members of ecological communities that impact ecosystem function and health. M2P2 is a community of scientists with diverse research expertise that study multiple aspects of bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasite biology in order to understand how these organisms impact host well-being during commensal and pathogenic interactions. Through journal clubs, a seminar series, an annual retreat, and multiple interdisciplinary collaborative research efforts, the M2P2 program provides a synergistic environment that is training the next generation of scientists to leverage the biology of microbes to devise new ways to treat and prevent infectious and chronic diseases. Our emphasis on understanding basic mechanisms of microbial biology is expected to form foundations for therapeutic advances in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple human diseases associated with these fascinating and important organisms.
