Mahsa Abassi

Mahsa Abassi, DO is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine within the Department of Medicine at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. Her clinical and research work focuses on complex infectious disease management, particularly in global health contexts with emphasis on resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa.

Research Expertise: Dr. Abassi specializes in cryptococcal meningitis among HIV-positive populations, conducting extensive prospective cohort studies in Uganda. Her investigations cover intracranial pressure dynamics, neurocognitive outcomes, biomarker validation (CSF protein, lactate, CRP), and nutritional predictors of mortality. She has pioneered research on oral antifungal formulations (lipid nanocrystal/amphotericin B) and adjunctive therapies (sertraline), while recently expanding into COVID-19 biomarker trajectories and monoclonal antibody treatments.

Publication Impact: Her 40+ publications demonstrate consistent focus on improving meningitis outcomes through pragmatic clinical trials and cohort analyses. Key contributions include establishing mid-upper arm circumference as a mortality predictor, defining sterile CSF culture risks, and developing intracranial pressure management protocols. Her work bridges laboratory findings with clinical implementation in high-burden regions.

Professional Context: As a clinician-scientist with dual expertise in infectious diseases and neurology, Dr. Abassi maintains active collaborations with Ugandan research teams. Her current work emphasizes scalable diagnostic approaches and treatment optimization for cryptococcal disease in resource-constrained environments, with implications for global antimicrobial stewardship.