Katherine Fitzgerald | |
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Born | Katherine A. Fitzgerald Ireland |
Citizenship | United States of America |
Alma mater | University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin |
Scientific career | |
Thesis | Signal transduction processes regulating CD44 expression and CD44-mediated changes in pro-inflammatory gene expression (1999) |
Katherine A. Fitzgerald is an Irish-born American molecular biologist and virologist.[1] She is a professor of medicine currently working in the Division of Infectious Disease at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She is also the director of the Program in Innate Immunity.[2]
Fitzgerald received her B.Sc. degree in biochemistry in 1995 from University College Cork.[1] She received her Ph.D. in 1999 from Trinity College Dublin,[3] studying with Luke O'Neill.[1] Following her Ph.D., she was postdoc at Trinity College Dublin until 2004 when she moved to the University of Massachusetts Medical School.[4]
Fitzgerald is known for her research in the field of innate immunity and the biology behind inflammatory responses in diseases.[5] She conducts research on many aspects of innate immunity such as the molecular basis of pathogen recognition,[6] the innate immunity to malaria,[7] and the impact with diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.[8] In 2021, Fitzgerald published results on an antiviral option to block replication in SARS-CoV-2, the viral agent responsible for COVID-19.[9]
In 2011, Fitzgerald was a finalist for the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science.[10] In 2015, she was awarded the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) St. Patrick's Day Science Medal, and she is the first woman to win the award.[11] She has been recognized by Clarivate as a Highly Cited Researcher in the field of immunology by Clarivate every year from 2014 to 2021 for being in the top 1% of authors cited in her field.[12][13] In 2020, she was admitted into the Royal Irish Academy, one of Ireland's most prestigious academic bodies,[14][15] and was elected to the American Academy of Microbiology.[16] In 2021 she was elected to the United States' National Academy of Sciences[17] and the National Academy of Medicine.[18]