The Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology (IDM) is committed to training the next generation of scientists and public health professionals to enhance the control of infectious diseases in the human population.
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‘An absolute game changer’: Confocal microscopes open new possibilities for public health research
Research at Pitt Public Health has entered a new era of cellular discovery, thanks to a piece of technology that has eliminated a barrier on campus. In March 2024, the Office of the Dean and three departments within Pitt Public Health—Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Environmental and Occupational Health and Human Genetics—collaborated to purchase a confocal microscope using instrumentation funds from the Office of Senior Vice Chancellor for Research.
Why bird flu targets cows’ udders instead of lungs
“When the real culprit turned out to be bird flu, everyone in the field was caught completely by surprise. We hadn't even remotely considered that cattle could be a host for H5N1,” said Suresh Kuchipudi, chair and professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the School of Public Health. One of the most striking observations was that instead of affecting the lungs like it does in other mammals, H5N1 targeted the cows’ mammary glands.
Dr. Jonas Salk’s son reflects on father’s role in creating polio vaccine in Pittsburgh
“It [polio] was just every parent’s worst nightmare,” said Don Burke, dean emeritus at Pitt's School of Public Health (SPH). But Dr. Jonas Salk and his team changed the course of history by developing the polio vaccine. “He was tapped on the shoulder by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which had been formed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had had polio himself,” said Peter Salk, Dr. Jonas Salk’s son and SPH adjunct professor of infectious diseases and microbiology.