• Ph.D., Harvard University, 1981
• M.S., Idaho State University, 1974

Research Interests: The mechanism of viral persistence remains a major unresolved problem and our goal is to understand how viruses evade or suppress the immune response and persist in vivo. We are using two natural models of viral persistence. 1) Infection of mice with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus provides an excellent model for studying the interaction between the virus and the immune system of its natural host, and in defining conditions that lead to viral clearance or persistence. We are also using this system to address fundamental questions about immunological memory. 2) Infection of rabbits with Shope papillomavirus allows one to examine the immune response during various stages of neoplasia; during papilloma development, during spontaneous regression, and during progression to carcinoma. Our approach is to combine the disciplines of virology and immunology to attain a better understanding of virus vs. host interaction.