HESBURGH LECTURE SERIES 2013 Program - Alumni Association ...

Mary Ann McDowell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
Biography
Mary Ann McDowell is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the
University of Notre Dame. In addition, she is the chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee
of the Eck Institute for Global Health. She obtained a B.S. and M.S. from the University of
Nebraska and her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After a post-doctoral
fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. McDowell joined the Notre Dame faculty in
2001.
The teaching and research interests of McDowell focus on the immunobiology of infectious
diseases. Her current research program primarily focuses on two vector-transmitted diseases:
leishmaniasis and malaria. McDowell has published in a variety of international journals and
has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and
the American Heart Association.
Lectures
Fighting for Global Health: The Eck Institute for Global Health
Not in my back yard? Oh yes it is! Infectious diseases account for more than 13 million deaths annually, with one of every two
deaths in developing nations. Yet we are all at risk. Notre Dame scientists have a long history in the laboratory and in field
addressing the world’s most challenging infectious diseases. Notre Dame’s Eck Institute for Global Health is a University-wide
enterprise that recognizes health as a fundamental human right and endeavors to promote research, training, and service to
advance health standards for all people in low and middle-income countries, who are disproportionately impacted by preventable
diseases.
Hijacking Immune Cell Machinery: Leishmania Parasites and the Intracellular Niche
The hallmark of an intracellular parasite is its ability to survive within the intracellular niche. These organisms must be resistant to,
or able to evade, the host cell’s microbicidal mechanisms. This dilemma is particularly relevant to Leishmania parasites because
these organisms primarily reside within vertebrate immune cells, the main functions of which are to destroy foreign material and
activate immunity.
The Unholy Trinity: Vector, Parasite, Host
The emergence of political terrorism in the U.S. and the increasing involvement of U.S. military in regional conflicts has
significantly increased the risk to U.S. civilians and military personnel of infectious diseases associated with bioterrorism and
warfare. Especially important as current and potential health risks are insect-borne diseases, like malaria and leishmaniasis.
Successful control strategies to combat these devastating diseases will undoubtedly be multi-factorial, combining attacks on
human infections and targeting diverse aspects of pathogen biology.
60 The Hesburgh Lecture Series, 2013 Program
Categories
Notre Dame, Science