Jane Foster

Jane Foster is a Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care (CDRC). Her research bridges microbiome, immunology, and neuroscience to explore links between gut microbes and mental illness.

• Joined UTSW and CDRC in May 2022
• Leadership in translational research spanning preclinical and clinical domains
• Expertise in molecular biology, neuroimaging, and bioinformatics

Dr. Foster’s work focuses on microbiota-immune-brain interactions, emphasizing their role in psychiatric disorders. Her team employs molecular, behavioral, and immunological approaches in parallel with clinical collaborations to analyze inflammatory and gut-brain mediators. Key themes include:

• Translational models for linking microbiome and immune systems to brain function
• Mechanistic studies in animal models to validate clinical observations
• Development of analytical pipelines for multi-modal biological data

Her research has expanded the CDRC’s clinical lab with state-of-the-art genomic and proteomic analysis facilities, enabling bench-to-bedside and reverse translational studies.