The Immunology Center of Georgia at Augusta University is set to host the first Margaret-Gertraud Immunology Lectureship on February 19. The event will take place in the J. Harold Harrison MD, Education Commons located on the university’s Health Sciences Campus.
Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, Sterling Professor of Immunology at Yale University School of Medicine, will deliver a lecture titled “Science Behind Failure to Recover From Infections” at 4 p.m., followed by a reception at 5 p.m. Attendance requires an RSVP by January 20.
The lectureship was established through a donation from IMMCG co-directors Catherine “Lynn” Hedrick, PhD, and Klaus Ley, MD, during the 2024 Augusta Gives philanthropy campaign. Named in memory of their mothers Margaret and Gertraud, it aims to promote immunology education and research with support from additional sponsors.
Klaus Ley commented on the upcoming event: “We are very excited to kick this lectureship off with a scientist of Dr. Iwasaki’s international distinction,” said Ley, Georgia Research Alliance Bradley Turner Eminent Scholar in Immunology and professor of physiology. “Her work has fundamentally advanced our understanding of how the immune system responds to viral infections and why, in some cases, recovery is incomplete. Equally important is her deep commitment to mentorship, demonstrated through her support of trainees and early-career faculty during the pandemic and through the rigorous training of young investigators in her laboratory as they prepare for independent scientific careers. This lecture will offer valuable insight for established researchers and clinicians, as well as the next generation of immunologists.”
Dr. Iwasaki holds multiple roles at Yale University School of Medicine including professor positions in dermatology; molecular, cellular and developmental biology; and epidemiology (microbial diseases). She is recognized for her contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic both as a researcher—leading studies such as the Mount-Sinai Yale Long COVID study—and as an advocate for women and underrepresented minorities in science.
Her research centers on immune defense mechanisms against viruses entering through mucosal surfaces. With over 350 publications cited more than 61,000 times, she has contributed significantly to developing mucosal vaccines that prevent infection and transmission across several viruses including SARS-CoV-2.
Iwasaki received her PhD from the University of Toronto before joining Yale’s faculty in 2000 after postdoctoral work at NIH. She became a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator in 2014 and has been honored with awards such as the Keio Medical Science Prize (2025), Forbes 50 over 50 Innovation (2024), TIME Magazine recognitions (2024), Else Kröner Fresenius Prize for Medical Research (2023), among others.
She was elected to major scientific academies including the National Academy of Sciences (2018) and served as President of American Associations of Immunologists starting in 2023.
