The Best of Both Worlds

"Rockefeller fosters an environment in which students are encouraged to forge their own paths."

After completing the first two years of medical school, Katie began her Ph.D. at Rockefeller in 1999. She had a background in immunology but was also fascinated by microbiology.

Katie explored both fields by studying Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Rockefeller's Laboratory of Infection Biology, headed by John D. McKinney, and Salmonella typhimurium with Carl Nathan at Cornell, focusing in both labs on the molecular basis of bacterial-immune system interactions.

"Katie pioneered a novel method of genetic screening in mice with defined immunologic deficiencies," McKinney says. "Katie's approach will undoubtedly find applications in the study of tuberculosis and other infectious diseases."

To gain first-hand knowledge of infectious disease in developing countries, Katie designed an international elective and is now working with the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge in Phnom Penh. "I hope to discover if I want to make this kind of experience part of my future career."