Carlos OrihuelaDr. Orihuela is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He earned his B.S. from Baylor University in 1996, Ph.D. in 2001 from The University of Texas Medcal Branch at Galveston. This was followed by postdoctoral training in Infectious Diseases at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through 2005. Dr. Orihuela's primary research involves the host-pathogen interactions that lead to the development of invasive pneumococcal disease. His work has shown that Streptococcus pneumoniae virulence gene expression is anatomical-site specific, that the pneumococcus and other respiratory tract pathogens use a common portal to cross the blood brain barrier during meningitis, that systemic low-grade inflammation enhances susceptibility to pneumonia, and that during colonization pneumococci within the nasopharynx are within immunoquiescent biofilms. Most recently, Dr. Orihuela's research is focused on the cardiotoxic events that occur during invasive pneumococcal disease. Dr. Orihuela is a member of numerous review committees including those for the National Institute of Health. He is Associate Editor of the journal PLoS Pathogens and serves as an ad hoc reviewer for multiple journals. At San Antonio, Dr. Orihuela was the recipient of a Presidential Distinguished Research Scholar Award in 2011. Read More Read Less