Kinyoun Lecture – Early Life Microbiome Influences on Metabolism, Immunity, and Disease Risk
The gastrointestinal tract contains a dense and complex microbial environment, where bacterial and human cells coexist and affect the equilibrium and health of our bodies. This environment forms early in life, and the way in which the assembly occurs influences the body’s metabolism and immune system development. Altering the microbiome during this important period of formation (with antibiotics, for example) may have substantial consequences on the risk of diseases and conditions such as obesity and diabetes.
Blaser is the Muriel and George Singer Professor of Translational Medicine, professor of microbiology, and director of the human microbiome program at the New York University Langone Medical Center. He served as chair of the department of medicine at NYU from 2000 to 2012.
Blaser is a physician and microbiologist whose work during the past 30 years has focused on understanding the interactions of resident bacteria with their human hosts. He recently published Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues. Blaser has advised and mentored numerous students and postdocs and been actively involved in many scientific and professional organizations. He has served as president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, chair of the NCI Board of Scientific Counselors, and chair of the Advisory Board for Clinical Research at NIH. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The Kinyoun Lecture series, established in 1979, honors Dr. Joseph J. Kinyoun, who in 1887 founded the Laboratory of Hygiene, the forerunner of NIH, and launched a new era of scientific study of infectious diseases.
