Amy Cernetich Ott

Amy Cernetich Ott, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Drexel University College of Medicine. She earned her PhD from Drexel University College of Medicine (2012), MS from Johns Hopkins University (2003), and BS from Allegheny College (1998). Her research focuses on developing multi-stage, multi-antigen vaccines for Plasmodium parasites using recombinant protein and mRNA platforms. She also studies parasite-encoded proteins in malaria pathogenesis and host immune responses.

Dr. Ott directs courses such as Vaccines and Vaccine Development, Introduction to Infectious Disease, and Clinical Correlations in Infectious Disease. Her teaching spans both in-person and online formats, emphasizing student engagement across diverse backgrounds. She lectures in virology and parasitology for first-year graduate students.

Her scientific awards include the 2024 Mary DeWitt Pettit, MD Fellowship from Drexel University. Research highlights include investigating sex-based differences in malaria responses and characterizing Plasmodium yoelii merozoite proteins. She collaborates with Dr. Jim Burns’ lab and actively contributes to vaccine development initiatives.