Microbiome Research brings together investigators and labs across Johns Hopkins University interested in this innovative field of research. The primary short-term goal is to provide opportunities for interaction and collaboration among the microbiome research community at all of the Johns Hopkins University campuses. The long-term goal is to foster basic and translational microbiome research to advance the prevention and treatment of human diseases.
Faculty Researchers
Cynthia Sears, MD
Cynthia Sears, MD, is a Professor of Medicine and Oncology in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and professor of Molecular microbiology and Immunology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Dr. Sears received her medical degree from the Thomas Jefferson Medical College, followed by training in internal medicine at the New York Hospital (Cornell Medical School), and training in infectious diseases at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute and the University of Virginia. Dr. Sears serves as IDSA President 2018-2019.
Dr. Sears’ research focuses on the pathogenesis of colon disease by enteric bacteria using B fragilis as a model for inducing colon inflammation. Her microbiome laboratory is interested in understanding “if, how and which” bacteria or bacterial consortia contribute to the pathogenesis of colon cancer.