The Joan Wood Lecture Series will feature Dr. Anne Moscona on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 3:30 p.m. in the Biology Building, Room A100. She will present a lecture titled, “Activities of a Paramyxovirus Fusion Complex on the Viral Surface.” Mosscona will discuss how proteins on the surface of a virus attach to a host cell to start an infection, a complicated and regulated “activity” similar to a choreographed dance.
The Lecture Series honors Dr. Joan Wood, a Hoosier scientist who earned a bachelor's degree in plant science and a doctorate in genetics from Indiana University Bloomington, followed by a medical degree from the IU School of Medicine. The series continues her mission of promoting careers in biology and encouraging the next generation of women to explore opportunities in the sciences.
This year’s lecture features Moscona, a virologist and pediatrician. She is the Sherie L. Morrison Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Pediatrics, and Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University. Her research focuses on how respiratory viruses enter host cells and the development of antiviral strategies to block infection at this critical stage. Preventing viral entry is a key strategy in stopping infections before they begin.
Moscona earned a bachelor's degree in molecular biology and biochemistry from Harvard University and a medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She has held leadership roles, including chief of pediatric infectious diseases and vice chair for research at Mount Sinai Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical Center. She currently directs the Center for Host-Pathogen Interaction at Columbia University Medical Center.
A reception will follow the lecture.
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