image: Dr. Sabine Ehrt
Credit: Weill Cornell Medicine
Dr. Sabine Ehrt, an internationally renowned leader in tuberculosis research, has been appointed chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Weill Cornell Medicine, effective July 1.
The department, which is comprised of microbiologists and immunologists, focuses on the body’s interaction with microbes like viruses, bacteria and fungi, along with inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, with a focus on AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. As chair, Dr. Ehrt seeks to build on the department’s already robust national and international footprint in tuberculosis research and expand its portfolio in other areas of research and innovation. Her goals include bringing on new faculty specializing in antimicrobial resistance and malaria, as well as scientists with skills beyond microbiology or who deploy innovative approaches. She is committed to fostering cross-disciplinary and cross-departmental collaborations, including with the Cornell Center for Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education and the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell’s Ithaca campus. She also wants to boost the mentorship of junior faculty to facilitate their success.
Dr. Ehrt joined Weill Cornell Medicine in 1999 and currently serves as a professor of microbiology and immunology and co-chair of the Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis graduate program at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. She succeeds Dr. Carl Nathan, who led the department since 1998 and will remain on Weill Cornell Medicine’s faculty as the R.A. Rees Pritchett Professor of Microbiology and a professor of medicine.
“Dr. Ehrt is a distinguished scientist, dedicated mentor and proven leader, with more than 25 years of service to our institution. We are thrilled that she is taking on the role of chair of microbiology and immunology,” said Dr. Robert A. Harrington, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine. “Under her direction, we look forward to seeing the department further advance its reputation of excellence—building on her pioneering work in tuberculosis and enhancing its cutting-edge research in other areas of microbiology and immunology, while developing the next generation of innovators.”
“My goal is to increase innovation and breakthroughs that come from new ways of approaching problems,” Dr. Ehrt said. “I want to maintain a strong department, which means investing in individuals. I look forward to growing our group of investigators—hiring and mentoring junior faculty and giving them the opportunity to advance their research and become the future of our department. We have a real opportunity to build momentum through expansion and collaboration.”
Dr. Ehrt’s research, conducted worldwide, has provided valuable insights into how Mycobacterium tuberculosis can metabolically adapt to changing conditions in its human hosts. She demonstrated that tuberculosis infection genetically “re-programs” host immune cells called macrophages, making it easier for the infection to persist.
Dr. Ehrt acknowledged that she is taking the department’s helm at a time of great challenge and opportunity. “The field of microbiology is really at a crossroads,” she said. “There is a lack of faith in important interventions like vaccines that treat or prevent infectious diseases. There will likely be less National Institutes of Health funding, and the industry has not engaged much with developing infectious disease therapies. Yet history suggests we will see a resurgence of infectious and microbial diseases, and we must prepare.”
Dr. Ehrt is grateful for Dr. Nathan’s ongoing support. He is an internationally recognized leader in tuberculosis research who, while leading the department, also concurrently served as dean of the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences from 2017 to 2019. Dr. Nathan was also the founding director of the Tri-Institutional M.D.-Ph.D. program, led planning for the Sanders Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute and serves on the institute’s board of directors. Dr. Nathan will continue his research and role as a professor while also working as an advisor to Dr. Harrington and the research deans on foundational science issues.
“Dr. Nathan and I have been collaborators for more than two decades,” Dr. Ehrt said. “He has been incredibly supportive during this transition process, and I look forward to continuing to work together to achieve our research and academic goals.”
About Dr. Sabine Ehrt
Dr. Ehrt is a prolific researcher with nine active grants from the National Institutes of Health and serves as a co-investigator on three ongoing Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awards. She has published more than 107 publications, many in high-impact journals including Nature Medicine, Nature Microbiology and the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Her publications have received more than 17,000 citations. Her tuberculosis research started with a focus on microbial genetics and has grown to include host-pathogen interactions.
She collaborated with Dr. Dirk Schnappinger, professor of microbiology and immunology, to develop a strain of Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette–Guérin, the live attenuated strain of tuberculosis used for vaccine development, with a dual tetracycline kill switch. Researchers can turn off the microbe's reproduction by administering a derivative of the antibiotic tetracycline, which has provided a valuable tool for researchers studying tuberculosis worldwide.
“We developed a tool to turn the microbe’s genes on and off,” she said. “We’ve used that to identify new tuberculosis drug targets and the genes necessary for establishing or maintaining infection.”
A triple kill switch M. tuberculosis strain developed by the pair has the potential to be used as a vaccine and may also provide a way to more rapidly, and safely test vaccine candidates in humans.
Dr. Ehrt earned her bachelor and doctorate degrees from the Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen in 1989 and 1994, respectively. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at Weill Cornell Medicine in 1997 and the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Public Health Division of Infectious Diseases in 1999. She joined Weill Cornell Medicine’s faculty in 1999, earning tenure in 2008. She served as co-director of the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences’ Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis Graduate Program from 2017-2019 and is currently its co-chair.
Dr. Ehrt’s leadership in tuberculosis research includes serving as editor of mBio, PLoS Pathogens, and Infections and Immunity. She has also chaired two of the field’s premier conferences, the Gordon Research Conference and the Keystone Symposium.
Dr. Ehrt has been awarded the Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award from the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences and the Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Weill Cornell Medicine Postdoctoral Association. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and was awarded the Career Scientist Award by the Irma T. Hirschl Trust.
Weill Cornell Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine—faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization—are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side’s scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine’s powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide exemplary patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.