Nancie MacIver

Nancie MacIver, MD PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology. She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her research focuses on nutritional immunology and immunometabolism, particularly investigating how nutritional status (e.g., undernutrition or obesity) and associated hormones modulate T cell immunity. Key interests include obesity-related immune dysfunction, metabolic regulation of immune cells, and the impact of drugs like metformin on immune function.

Dr. MacIver received her MD/PhD from Mayo Clinic Graduate School in 2003. Her work bridges clinical endocrinology and basic immunology, with recent studies examining how metabolic pathways influence T cell responses to infections, vaccines, and transplantation. She has published extensively on topics such as cytokine regulation in macrophages, leptin’s role in immune licensing, and the metabolic basis of viral immunity in obesity.

Her research has identified novel mechanisms linking metabolic disorders to immune dysfunction, including how obesity impairs influenza immunity and how bariatric surgery modifies post-viral immune responses. She also investigates the dual effects of metformin on glucose tolerance and immune cell function.

Labs/Teams: Her laboratory integrates immunology, endocrinology, and metabolomics to study nutritional impacts on immunity. Collaborations span pediatric endocrinology, transplant medicine, and public health.