Einstein Experts for Media

Liise-anne Pirofski, M.D.

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Professor, Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Einstein

Professor, Microbiology & Immunology, Einstein

Selma and Dr. Jacques Mitrani Chair in Biomedical Research, Einstein

Chief, Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Einstein and Montefiore Health System

Infectious diseasesPneumoniaImmunology

Bacterial infectionsFungal infectionsVaccines

Dr. Pirofski studies innate and vaccine-induced immunity to disease-causing microbes, including Cryptococcus (the leading cause of fungal meningitis globally) and Pneumococcus (the leading cause of pneumonia in the United States and globally). She has described novel ways by which antibodies protect against bacterial pneumonia and sepsis and her work has improved understanding of how Cryptococcus and Pneumococcus cause disease.

Dr. Pirofski is co-author of the “damage-response framework of microbial pathogenesis,” a new theory that takes into account contributions of the host in addition to actions of the microbe to explain the outcome of microbial infection.

In her role as chief of the division of infectious diseases at Montefiore, Dr. Pirofski led the development of an antibiotic stewardship program and an immunocompromised patient and transplant infectious diseases service. She is a member of the American Academy of Microbiology, a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, an associate editor of the journal Medical Mycology, an editor of mBio, and a member of the Vaccines for Microbial Diseases Study Section of the NIH. Dr. Pirofski will serve as vice-chair of the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and as chair of the 2012 meeting.