Bio
Connie received her B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA, where she conducted research on how the eukaryotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii invades and replicates inside host cells in the lab of Dr. Peter Bradley. Subsequently, she obtained her Ph.D. in Microbiology & Immunology from Stanford University with Dr. Manuel Amieva. Her thesis research involved the use of high-resolution microscopy to study how the bacterium Helicobacter pylori establishes and maintains persistent colonization of the gastric epithelium. Connie joined Dr. Michael Howitt's lab as a postdoctoral research fellow in 2019 and is currently investigating how tuft cells, specialized taste-chemosensory cells, modulate epithelial cell function and mucosal immunity in response to intestinal parasites and commensals.
