Host Microbe Core People

Core Director, RDP and CFRTC Host Microbe Core

Dr. Hoffman is a pediatric pulmonologist and microbiologist at the UW and SCH with considerable experience in clinical management and laboratory and translational study of chronic CF lung infections. He will work closely with Dr. Frevert in managing the day-to-day operation of the Host-Microbe Core, and he will share responsibility for assuring that core functions, services, and training are completed and implemented in a timely fashion. He oversees Dr. Pope in providing consultation, training, and expertise to researchers interested in fluorescence in situ hybridization and clinical, animal, and laboratory specimen processing for genomic, metabolomic, and microscopic analyses. With the Core Co-Director, he will continue to work closely with the Directors of the Genomics (Salipante) and Clinical (Goss) Cores to best provide services and samples to the research base of the UW RDP and CFRTC.

Co-Core Director, RDP and CFRTC Host Microbe Core

Dr. Frevert, a comparative pathologist and veterinary-scientist, has considerable experience with host-microbe interactions with expertise in the use of animal models to study the immune response to Toll-like receptor agonists plus live bacteria and viruses. With Co-Director Hoffman, he will manage the day-to-day operation of the Core. He will work closely with Brian Johnson in performing analyses, training, and services related to host responses, including microscopy, histology and digital pathology, and assays for immune functions. With Dr. Hoffman, Dr. Frevert will share responsibility for assuring that core functions, services, and training are completed and implemented in a timely fashion. He will be available for consultation and data analysis and interpretation.

Dr. Parsek is a microbiologist with extensive experience in microbial phenotyping and culturing under clinically-relevant conditions, including using specialized culture systems with advanced microscopic imaging techniques. Dr. Parsek previously directed the RDP Biofilm and Chronic Infection Cores, providing technical advice to investigators here at the University of Washington, such as data interpretation and experimental design considerations.  Dr. Parsek will continue to provide these services, and he will work with Drs. Hoffman and Frevert to provide consultation, training, and expertise, and to set priorities for services.

Clinical Isolate Core Director, CFRTC Host Microbe Core

Dr. Hernandez will oversee the maintenance and expansion of the archival collection of CF fecal bacterial isolates and provision of these isolates as requested by the CFRTC research community. Respiratory bacterial isolate archival and provision, as well as susceptibility testing, are available through a CF Foundation-funded Microbiological Outcomes Advancement Core (MOAC).