Cassandra Quave

Dr. Cassandra L. Quave is an Associate Professor of Dermatology and Human Health at Emory University, holding the Thomas J. Lawley, MD endowed professorship. She serves as Curator of the Herbarium and Assistant Dean of Research Cores at Emory University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on ethnobotanical approaches to drug discovery, targeting antimicrobial resistance and infectious diseases. She earned her B.S. and Ph.D. in Biology from Emory University and Florida International University, respectively, and completed postdoctoral training in microbial pathogenesis and human health.

Dr. Quave’s work integrates traditional medicine with modern pharmacology, particularly targeting multidrug-resistant bacteria like MRSA and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Her lab explores quorum sensing inhibition and biofilm disruption via natural products. She has authored over 130 publications, holds patents, and co-founded Verdant Scientific and PhytoTEK LLC to commercialize botanical drug candidates.

She is a Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of the National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Science Communication. Beyond academia, she hosts the podcast Foodie Pharmacology, runs the Teach Ethnobotany YouTube channel, and authored the memoir The Plant Hunter. She serves on editorial and advisory boards, including for Natural Product Reports and the Society for Investigative Dermatology.

Her teaching spans medicinal plants and health, and she advocates for science communication through media appearances in New York Times, National Geographic, and NPR. Donations to her lab support research into antibiotic-resistant infections.