Katherine A Fitzgerald

Katherine A. Fitzgerald is a Professor and Vice Chair of Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School, where she also serves as Chief of the Division of Innate Immunity and holds the Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research Chair III. She has joint appointments in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences across multiple departments including Immunology and Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, MD/PhD Program, Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program, and Translational Science.

• UMass Chan Medical School, Department of Medicine
• T.H. Chan School of Medicine
• Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Dr. Fitzgerald received her B.Sc. in Biochemistry in 1995 from University College Cork, Ireland and her PhD in Biochemistry in 1999 from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. After completing a post-doctoral fellowship at Trinity College Dublin, she joined UMass Chan as an Instructor and has since become a tenured Professor, establishing herself as a leading researcher in innate immunity.

Dr. Fitzgerald's research focuses on the innate immune system, specifically investigating the molecular basis of inflammatory responses during infection and in inflammatory diseases. Her laboratory studies nucleic acid sensors, inflammasomes, and long non-coding RNAs in immunity and inflammation. The overarching goal of her work is to determine how innate immune sensing and signaling contribute to infectious, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases in humans. Her expertise spans multiple areas including the cGAS-STING pathway, inflammasome activation, and the role of non-coding RNAs in immune regulation.

Analysis of Dr. Fitzgerald's recent publications reveals a strong focus on the cGAS-STING pathway and its role in various disease contexts, including viral infections, autoimmune conditions, and cancer. Her work also prominently features research on inflammasomes, pyroptosis, and the role of long non-coding RNAs in immune regulation. There is a clear translational emphasis in her research, with multiple studies exploring therapeutic applications of modulating innate immune pathways.

Dr. Fitzgerald has received numerous prestigious awards and honors for her contributions to immunology:

• 2022 Thermofischer Meritorious Career Award, American Association of Immunologists
• 2021 Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences
• 2021 Elected member, National Academy of Medicine
• 2020 Elected member, Royal Irish Academy
• 2020 Elected Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology
• 2018 Women in Science and Health Achievement Award
• 2018 Alumni Achievement Award, University College Cork
• 2015 Saint Patricks Day Medal
• 2014 Milstein Award for Excellence in Interferon and Cytokine research

Dr. Fitzgerald has extensive service both locally at UMass Chan and nationally, including service on the Massachusetts Center For Pathogen Readiness, NIAID Board of Scientific Councillors, Burroughs Wellcome Fund Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases, and the Cancer Research Institute. She previously served as President of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society. Her laboratory actively welcomes graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, with rotation opportunities available through the various graduate programs at UMass Chan.

Dr. Fitzgerald leads the Program in Innate Immunity at UMass Chan Medical School, which brings together researchers studying various aspects of innate immune recognition and signaling. Her laboratory is at the forefront of research on DNA sensing pathways, inflammasome biology, and the role of non-coding RNAs in immune regulation, with findings that have significant implications for understanding and treating infectious, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases.