Lora V. Hooper

Lora V. Hooper, Ph.D., whose research into the interactions between the microbiota and the immune system is internationally recognized, became Chair of the Department of Immunology in September 2016. She also directs the Walter M. and Helen D. Bader Center for Research on Arthritis and Autoimmune Diseases. Dr. Hooper earned her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology in 1996 at Washington University in St. Louis, and as a postdoctoral researcher there, performed groundbreaking work in host-microbial interactions. Dr. Hooper joined the faculty of UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2003 and became an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 2008. She was awarded the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Medicine from the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas in 2013, and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2015.