Katherine Dobbs

Katherine Dobbs, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and a member of the Center for Global Health and Diseases. Her research focuses on innate immunity against malaria and childhood infections of global significance, particularly monocyte-mediated immune responses and epigenetic reprogramming in malaria infection. She leads a career development award studying pediatric malaria immunology.

Dr. Dobbs obtained her MD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2009. She completed a Pediatrics residency at Boston Medical Center/Boston Children’s Hospital (2012) and a Pediatric Infectious Diseases fellowship at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital (2016).

Her research spans malaria immunopathology, trained immunity mechanisms, and global health challenges. Over 14 peer-reviewed publications highlight her work on monocyte dysfunction, epigenetic regulation in malaria, and emerging pathogens like Ebola virus in children. Her studies integrate clinical observations with immunological and molecular techniques.

Key contributions include defining how Plasmodium falciparum induces long-term trained immunity and elucidating systemic inflammation patterns in pediatric malaria. Current projects explore epigenetic drivers of immune responses and translational applications for malaria prevention.