Rebecca L.R. Powell, PhD performed her doctoral research at the New York University School of Medicine, focused on the genomic analysis of HIV in the epicenter of the HIV pandemic, West-Central Africa. While testing for HIV and collecting blood samples from study participants in Cameroon, she developed a low-cost method to rapidly detect HIV superinfection. This assay enabled the discovery that among this normal-risk population, superinfection was as common as primary infection, facilitating virus recombination and strongly impacting the genetic diversity of HIV in this region. Her further study of the impact of HIV superinfection on the host immune response led to the finding that these infections tended to broaden the HIV-specific neutralizing antibody response, suggesting inclusion of various HIV subtypes in a vaccine may do the same. Dr. Powell’s early post-doctoral research was performed at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) Design and Development Lab, where she was part of the Candidate Evaluation team. Her work at IAVI involved the design and testing of replicating viral vector vaccines displaying HIV Envelope. She developed various antibody-based assays that allowed detailed evaluation of candidate vaccines in small and large animal studies, identifying several Vesicular Stomatitis Virus candidate vaccines in particular as safe and highly immunogenic, which are currently in clinical trials. Dr. Powell is also a certified lactation counselor, and lives in Brooklyn with her partner and 3 children.

Xiaoqi Yang, PhD (Postdoc)

Alisa Fox (Senior Research Associate) graduated with her bachelor’s in science from the University of Wisconsin Madison with a degree in microbiology and biochemistry. She has worked in plant physiology studying the symbiotic interactions between different plant species and mutually beneficial microbes. Concurrently, she spent time leading human gut microbiome studies. As a part of Dr. Powell’s team, Alisa has focused on immunological studies involving human breast milk spanning various biological infections, including HIV, influenza, and COVID-19. It continues to be particularly interesting and important to Alisa to learn how to better understand communities that are often not considered in many scientific studies.

Claire DeCarlo (Research Associate)

Nicole Pineda (Research Coordinator) obtained her Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Florida State University. Prior to working in Dr. Powell’s lab, she worked in the study of in vitro pathophysiology and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 in lung parenchyma at the University of Florida College of Medicine. She also has research experience in AAV-based ocular gene therapy treatment for Leber congenital amaurosis. Currently, Nicole works in Dr. Powell’s lab as the clinical research coordinator. She administers the research projects involving human milk immunology in relation to COVID-19 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccine administration. Nicole is delighted to be part of a team that studies human milk immunology to eventually develop maternal vaccines that will optimize health outcomes for both mother and child.