Maria Laura Gennaro is a versatile public health researcher whose laboratory’s discoveries and applications have influenced the world’s understanding of infectious diseases. Her career focus has been tuberculosis (TB), a chronic lung disease that remains one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide and disproportionately affects people living in developing countries. While much of her TB work is literally microscopic—the disease is caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis—it is Gennaro’s broad expertise in immunology and microbiology that prepared her for a new venture: investigating the novel coronavirus. The role of antibodies is a focus of her current research related to SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus) and COVID-19 (the infectious disease it causes). Gennaro, a core faculty member of Rutgers Global Health Institute, also is concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations, which informs her work. To read the full story.
Applying Science Where It’s Needed Most
