Message from the Director
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Dr. Ricardo Rajsbaum
Vision

The vision for the newly established CVHII at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School is to develop a multidisciplinary, highly collaborative center with a diverse faculty dedicated to basic research on a range of viruses that cause important human diseases. CVHII was formed in the summer of 2022, in part as a response to the COVID19 pandemic. The center’s focus is on basic virology knowledge, with a drive to integrate different areas of basic science and translational medicine, and to promote pandemic preparedness. We are establishing new interactions and collaborations between virologists located in different Rutgers departments and campuses (Newark-Piscataway-New Brunswick).


Mission

The mission of CVHII includes ensuring mentoring and career development for early-stage investigators and trainees of diverse backgrounds. We will strive to establish a strong foundation for future careers in biomedical sciences and to encourage excellence, and creative and unexplored ideas to advance science.

Current Projects include studies on Pathogenesis and immune responses to Influenza, SARS-CoV-2, flaviviruses (dengue, Zika), Ebola and other viruses, and mechanisms of RNA translation, RNA modifications and posttranslational regulation during virus infection.

CVHII is part of the Institute for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases (I3D), and has close interactions with the Center for Immunity and Inflammation (CII), the Center for COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness (CCRPP), and the Center for Emerging pathogens




CVHII investigators have access to the state-of-the-art regional biocontainment level 3 laboratory with excellent infrastructure to conduct BSL3 and ABSL3 studies at the PHRI.  CVHII provides opportunities to interact with leading scientists studying innate and adaptive immunity of parasitic, bacterial and fungal infectious diseases at Rutgers.  CVHII faculty, graduate students, postdocs and other trainees participate in CVHII journal clubs, seminars and joint lab meetings, including joint events with CII and I3D.  CVHII members also have access to Core Facilities that include Biostatistics; Genome Informatics; Experimental Histology & Confocal Imaging; Flow Cytometry; and Genome Editing.


CVHII is currently recruiting tenure-track faculty to study virus-host interactions, viral immunology, and virus pathogenesis with an emphasis on RNA viruses and innate immune responses.  Interested candidates can send a cover letter, a CV, a statement of Research Interests, and a diversity statement, to Dr. Ricardo Rajsbaum, email:  Ricardo.Rajsbaum@Rutgers.edu

Administrator: Jennifer Yaney