Short Term Research in Immunology and Virology Experience (STRIVE-T35)

This is a new 12-week research program designed exclusively for Ohio State University medical students, providing foundational training and research opportunities in immunology and virology. The program is supported by 38 outstanding faculty mentors, including 21 physician scientists, across four domains: Transplant Immunology, Immuno-Oncology, Virology, and Autoimmune Disease. Ohio State is one of only six institutions nationwide to be awarded an NIH T35 program through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The program aims to expand the immunology and virology trained physician and surgeon scientist pipeline by enhancing:

  • immunology and/or virology knowledge, skillset, and research experience,
  • exposure to impactful mentors leading cutting-edge immunology and virology research,
  • access to physician scientist role models, and
  • peer mentorship by MD-PhD students, residents, and fellows pursuing medical research careers.

The program offers a competitive stipend, travel funds, and summer tuition support. Additionally, up to two students may continue their research through a funded one-year research leave of absence.

Group photo of the STRIVE T35 team. Congratulations to the program leaders and co-primary investigators: Drs. Ben Kaffenberger (Dermatology), Ken Oestreich (Microbial Infection & Immunity) and Ginny Bumgardner (Surgery)! 

For more information, please read our news article on the New NIH-supported training program. 

Program overview

How to apply and requirements

Co-Primary Investigators

Ginny Bumgardner

Ginny L. Bumgardner, MD, PhD, FACS

  • Professor of Surgery
    Comprehensive Transplant Center
    Associate Dean for Research Education
    Director, Masters of Medical Science Program
    Director, Dept. Surgery Research Training Program
    Co-Program Director STRIVE T35
Benjamin Kaffenberger, MD

Benjamin Kaffenberger, MD, MS, FAAD

  • Associate Professor of Dermatology
    Director, Medical Student Research Program
    Vice-Chair Research, Department of Dermatology
    Co-Program Director STRIVE T35
Kenneth Oestreich

Ken Oestreich, PhD

  • Associate Professor of Microbial Infection & Immunity
    Director Immunology and Immunotherapeutics Graduate Program
    Co-Program Director STRIVE T35

Mentors

Amal Amer, MD, PhD
Professor
Microbial Infection and Immunity
Innate immunity in health and disease

Maria Ariza, PhD
Assistant Professor
Cancer, Biology and Genetics
Viral pathogrns

Irina Artsimotvitch, PhD
Professor
Microbiology
Mechanisms of bacterial and viral RNA polymerases

Robert Baiocchi, MD, PhD
Professor
Hematology
Lymphoma biology and experimental therapeutics

Sylvester Black, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Surgery
Ischemia reperfusion injury 

Ginny L. Bumgardner, MD, PhD
Professor
Transplant Surgery
Transplant immunology

Joshua Englert, MD
Associate Professor
Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep
Acute respiratory distress syndrome, ventilator induced lung injury 

Aharon Freud, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Pathology
Human innate lymphocyte

Nicholas Funderburg, PhD
Professor
Health and Rehabilitation Services
HIV and cardiovascular disease

Kymberly M. Gowdy, MS, PhD
Associate Professor
Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep
Environmental exposures, lung disease, innate immunity, lipid metabolism

Patrick Green, PhD
Professor
Veterinary Biosciences
Molecular pathogenesis of retroviruses (transcriptional and post transcriptional control) 

Tamar Gur, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Psychiatry
Microbiome, inflammation, prenatal stress

Courtney Hebert, MD, MS
Assistant Professor
Biomedical Informatics
Hospital epidemiology, predictive modeling, clinical informatics, secondary use of electronic record data 

Willa Hsueh, MD
Professor
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Diabetes and Metabolism Research Center
Microbial infection and immunity, diabetes mellitus; complications and diabetic mellitus; hypertension 

Wael Jarjour, MD
Professor
Rheumatology and Immunology
Autoimmunity

Benjamin Kaffenberger, MD, MS
Associate Professor
Associate Professor
Dermatology
Autoimmunity 

Jesse J. Kwiek, PhD
Associate Professor
Microbiology
Virology, public health

Zihai Li, MD, PhD
Professor
Medical Oncology
Immunology and immuno-oncology

Pei-Hui Lin, PhD
Associate Professor
Surgery
Immune modulation in tissue injury and repair

Xuefeng Liu, MD
Professor
Pathology
Stem cells, cancer, viruses 

Rama K. Mallampalli, MD
Professor
Internal Medicine
Ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, inflammation, acute lung injury 

Bethany Mundy-Bosse, PhD
Associate Professor
Internal Medicine
Translational tumor immunology

Stefan Niewiesk, DVM, PhD
Professor
Veterinary Biosciences
Antiviral immunity

Kenneth Oestreich, PhD
Associate Professor
Microbial Infection and Immunity 
T cell biology

Eugene Oltz, PhD
Professor
Microbial Infection and Immunity
Gene regulation in immune cells 

Phillip Popovich, PhD
Professor
Neuroscience
Neuroimmunology and spinal cord injury, neural regeneration and plasticity, neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Linda Saif, PhD
Professor
Center for Food Animal Health, Veterinary Preventative Medicine, Animal Sciences
Virology, viral zoonoses and pathogenesis, mucosal immunity and vaccines 

Abhay Satoskar, MBBS, MD, PhD
Professor
Pathology
Immunology and infectious diseases

Benjamin Segal, MD
Professor
Neurology
Neuroimmunology

Sakma Smith, MD
Associate Professor
Internal Medicine
Cardio-oncology, myocyte biology

Alan Bryan Whitson, MD, PhD
Professor
Surgery
Transplantation, ex vivo organ perfusion 

Jon Wisler, MD, MS
Assistant Professor
Surgery
Sepsis epigenetic, clinical trials 

Jacob Yount, PhD
Associate Professor
Microbial Infection and Immunology
Viral immunology

Yutong Zhao, MD, PhD
Professor
Physiology and Cell Biology
Acute lunch injury, pulmonary fibrosis, sepsis 

Hua Zhu, PhD
Professor
Surgery
Organ injury, repair and regeneration, stem cell research