Microbiology and Immunology

The Division of Microbiology and Immunology (M&I) in the University of Utah School of Medicine Department of Pathology was established in the early 1970s by past chairman Ernst Eichwald, M.D. Dr. Eichwald, an internationally recognized clinician/scientist who recruited a group of faculty to Utah with shared interests in better understanding the immunological mechanisms underlying graft infection and transplantation tolerance. Shortly after its creation, the Division was granted graduate degree-granting status from the State of Utah, and continues today to provide high quality education and research experiences to qualified students seeking a Ph.D. or Masters degree in Microbiology and Immunology.

Nature of Things Lecture - June Round

Humans are home to vast consortium of bacteria that outnumber our own cells by a factor of ten. Recent research shows that the microorganisms living on and in our bodies are essential to immune system development and protecting us from a vast array of diseases. Moreover, these bacteria have likely influenced the evolution of the human species in unexplored and unappreciated ways. Given the importance of bacteria to our health and development, we might begin to redefine ourselves to include the microscopic creatures that inhabit our bodies.

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