Deborah M. Brown

Deborah M. Brown, PhD, is a principal investigator at Trudeau Institute in upstate New York, USA, as well as an adjunct associate professor at Clarkson University. She received her PhD in microbiology and immunology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2002 and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Trudeau Institute in 2008. As an associate professor at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she developed a passion for undergraduate and graduate education, developing curriculum and instructing students in immunology, vaccine biology and professionalism before returning to Trudeau Institute in 2019 to oversee the Joint Educational Programs with Clarkson University.

With a background in cellular immunology, she has published more than fifty scientific articles on diverse topics such as anti-tumor immune responses, the role of CD4 T cells in viral infections, anti-influenza vaccine strategies, and active learning techniques in the classroom. Since 2009 she has been passionate about training the next generation of scientists in the research enterprise, research methodology, and scientific communication. As a member of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Teaching Interest Group, she has helped craft the undergraduate immunology curriculum and is a participant in the AAI's active learning workshops each year. She continues to teach students in immunology and immunological techniques and supervises a unique, immersive fifteen-week semester long hands-on research project for Clarkson students investigating universal vaccines to combat influenza infection. This book represents over twenty years' experience in research and academia at a medical school, land-grant university and not-for-profit research institute and is designed to teach students to be critical thinkers as they navigate their career path in the STEM fields.