University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine leaders joined current and former faculty and staff, alumni, and friends of the college’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology May 19 to celebrate the department’s 85th anniversary and its designation as a “Milestones in Microbiology” site by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).
The University of Iowa is one of only 19 institutions nationwide to receive the Milestones in Microbiology designation, which recognizes sites where major developments and pivotal discoveries in microbiology have occurred. As part of the daylong symposium on May 19, Colleen Kraft, MD, M.Sc., president of ASM, presented a plaque to departmental and collegiate leaders to commemorate the designation.
“The University of Iowa has not only met but exceeded the criteria required for recognition as a Milestones in Microbiology site,” Kraft says. “ASM is proud to recognize the University of Iowa as a Milestones site for its many findings that have had far-reaching impact in the sciences and society at-large.”
Established in 1938 as the Department of Bacteriology and later renamed the Department of Microbiology (which became the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in 2016), the department has been the home to numerous research contributions and scientific breakthroughs in microbial pathogenesis, infectious diseases, and immunology.
Among the many outstanding faculty and alumni throughout the department’s history, notable figures include:
William Hale
William Hale, MD (1898-1976), who established the department and served as its first chair from 1938-1949.
Johan Hultin
Johan Hultin, MD (1924-2022), who earned a master’s degree in virology and an MD degree at Iowa. Hultin recovered and studied lung tissue from 1918 Spanish Flu victims buried in Alaska, which facilitated sequencing of the virus.
J. Roger Porter
J. Roger Porter, PhD (1909-1979), who chaired the department from 1949-1977 and expanded the department’s focus from bacteriology to microbiology and led research advances in bacterial physiology. Porter served as ASM president in 1964.
David Gibson
David Gibson, PhD (1938-2014), a former faculty member who contributed key studies of bacterial dioxygenases that have had wide-ranging impacts on the pharmaceutical and bioremediation industries.
Mark Stinski
Mark Stinski, PhD, a former faculty member (now professor emeritus) who discovered and patented the cytomegalovirus promoter used in research and translational medicine worldwide.
Michael Apicella
Michael Apicella, MD, who served as department chair from 1993-2011 (now professor emeritus) and systematically identified the pathogenic mechanisms involved in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae infections of human epithelial cells.
E. Peter Greenberg
E. Peter Greenberg, PhD, a former faculty member who revolutionized the field of bacterial quorum sensing and social behavior.
Patrick Schlievert
Patrick Schlievert, PhD, who earned his doctorate at the UI in 1976 and served as chair of the department from 2011-2019 (now professor emeritus). Schlievert described the first defensin, as present in human amniotic fluid, and identified the toxins that cause toxic shock syndrome.
Wendy Maury
Wendy Maury, PhD, who joined the department in 1999 and has identified novel cell surface receptors that interact with lipids in viral membranes of several pathogenic viruses.
“Today, we celebrate our department’s 85-year history of excellence and highlight current research accomplishments of the department” said Li Wu, PhD, chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, during the May 19 symposium. “Through today’s celebration, we encourage our faculty, staff, and trainees to be even more successful in the future.”
The University of Iowa has not only met but exceeded the criteria required for recognition as a Milestones in Microbiology site