Ralph R. Isberg (born January 3, 1955) is a professor at

Tufts University School of Medicine The Tufts University School of Medicine is the medical school of Tufts University, a Private university, private research university in Massachusetts. It was established in 1893 and is located on the university's health sciences campus in downto ...

Faculty Profile Page, Tufts University
/ref> known for his contributions to understanding microbial pathogenesis. He is a member of the

American National Academy of Sciences American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and was an investigator of the

Howard Hughes Medical Institute The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is an American non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded in 1953 by Howard Hughes, an American business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot, engineer, fil ...

for 27 years. A microbiologist, Isberg has published over 185 peer-reviewed articlesIsberg CV
/ref> and is or has been an editor of the

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America'' (often abbreviated ''PNAS'' or ''PNAS USA'') is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary scientific journal. It is the official journal of the National Academy of Sci ...

PLoS Pathogens ''PLOS Pathogens'' is a peer-reviewed open-access medical journal. All content in ''PLOS Pathogens'' is published under the Creative Commons "by-attribution" license. ''PLOS Pathogens'' began operation in September 2005. It was the fifth journal o ...

, and

Journal of Experimental Medicine ''Journal of Experimental Medicine'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by Rockefeller University Press that publishes research papers and commentaries on the physiological, pathological, and molecular mechanisms that encompass th ...

, among others.

Early life

Isberg was born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 3, 1955.

Education and career

Isberg received an A.B. from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

(1977) and a Ph.D. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

(1984), performing his thesis on the mechanisms of ''Tn''5 transposition in Michael Syvanen's laboratory. He performed his post-doctoral research in Stanley Falkow's lab at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

(1984-1986), where he initiated studies of the entry of the bacterial pathogen ''Yersinia pseudotuberculosis'' into mammalian cells. He joined

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is one of the eight schools that comprise Tufts University. The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) is located on the university's health sciences campus in the Chinatown district of Boston, Mas ...

in 1986 and is currently Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology there. He is also the co-director of th
Center for Enteric Disease in Engineered Tissues (CEDET)
and Program Director of Molecular Basis of Microbial Pathogenesis. Isberg has mentored over 20 Ph.D. students, and over 40 post-doctoral fellows.

Research

Isberg's research has mainly been in the field of microbial pathogenesis. His lab focuses on the pathogenesis of ''

Legionella pneumophila ''Legionella pneumophila'' is a thin, aerobic, pleomorphic, flagellated, non-spore-forming, Gram-negative bacterium of the genus ''Legionella''. ''L. pneumophila'' is the primary human pathogenic bacterium in this group and is the causative age ...

'' and ''

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis ''Yersinia pseudotuberculosis'' is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes Far East scarlet-like fever in humans, who occasionally get infected zoonotically, most often through the food-borne route. Animals are also infected by ''Y. pseudotuberc ...

'', especially the ways these pathogens enter and regulate host mammalian cells.

Honors and awards

Isberg has received many honors and awards, including: * 1983-1986: Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University * 1987-1992:

Presidential Young Investigator Award The Presidential Young Investigator Award (PYI) was awarded by the National Science Foundation of the United States Federal Government. The program operated from 1984 to 1991, and was replaced by the NSF Young Investigator (NYI) Awards and Presiden ...

, NSF * 1993:

Eli Lilly Award The Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry was established in 1934. Consisting of a bronze medal and honorarium, its purpose is to stimulate fundamental research in biological chemistry by scientists not over thirty-eight years of age. The Award i ...

American Society for Microbiology The American Society for Microbiology (ASM), originally the Society of American Bacteriologists, is a professional organization for scientists who study viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa as well as other aspects of microbiology. It ...

* 2009: Member,

Personal life

Isberg is married to

Carol Kumamoto Carol Kumamoto is an American microbiologist who is Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology at Tufts University. She investigates the filamentous growth of ''Candida albicans'', a fungal pathogen that causes several diseases. She is also int ...

, also a professor at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, and has two children, Max and Robyn. Isberg is known for constructing a hockey rink in his back yard each winter.Globe: Home ice advantage: Backyard skating rinks sharpen skills, family fun
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isberg, Ralph Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Tufts University School of Medicine faculty American microbiologists Scientists from Detroit Oberlin College alumni Harvard University alumni 1955 births Living people Jewish American scientists 21st-century American Jews