Judith A. Smith

Judith A. Smith, MD, PhD, serves as an Associate Professor in both the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Her research focuses on the intersection of cellular stress responses and immune function, particularly examining how the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) influences immune signaling during infection.

Dr. Smith's work primarily investigates how intracellular pathogens like Brucella manipulate the host endoplasmic reticulum stress response to enhance their survival while modulating inflammatory cytokine production. Her laboratory has demonstrated that macrophages undergoing UPR produce amplified type I IFN, TNF-α, and IL-23 in response to infectious stimuli, suggesting UPR functions as a "danger signal" immune amplifier.

• Focuses on ER stress response (UPR) in immune cells during infection
• Studies Brucella manipulation of host UPR pathways
• Investigates cytokine regulation through UPR signaling
• Examines cross-talk between stress response and immune pathways

Her research has important implications for understanding diverse conditions including viral infections, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Smith has secured significant funding including an R21 from NIAID, an R01 renewal for Brucella research, and a substantial Merck grant for respiratory virus research.

• R21 from National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• Merck grant ($203,983) for epithelial determinants of respiratory syncytial virus
• Department of Pediatrics Research and Development Award

Dr. Smith actively mentors undergraduate researchers through the Hilldale Faculty/Undergraduate Research Fellowship program and contributes to graduate education through the Cellular & Molecular Pathology Graduate Program, Cellular & Molecular Biology Graduate Program, and Microbiology Doctoral Training Program at UW-Madison.