President

P.H.D Vice Provost for Research Tufts University
Dr. Genco has a distinguished history of excellence in biomedical research. She has fostered numerous collaborations across disciplines including immunology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, biomedical engineering, and public health.Her primary research focus is in the area of chronic inflammation and the role of the microbiome in systemic inflammatory disorders. Dr. Genco’s current studies include sexually transmitted infections and oral infectious diseases. Dr. Genco has authored more than 125articles in scientific journals. Her research program has been continuously supported from extramural funding from the National Institutes of Health, for which she also serves in an advisory capacity. She has also worked with Pharmaceutical companies on funded research projects, as well as in an advisory capacity.Her translational work has encompassed clinical studies evaluating immunological and microbiological responses following acute inflammatory diseases induced by sexually transmitted infections including gonorrhea. Gonorrhea, caused by the Gram-negative organism Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a disease of worldwide prevalence and the continued persistence and increased N. gonorrhoeae resistance to third generation cephalosporins is a warning for the development and spread of untreatable gonorrhea. A vaccine against gonorrhea is not yet available, despite this clear need. The long-term goal of Dr. Genco’s work is to develop a vaccine to treat sexually transmitted infections with emphasis on prevention of secondary complications in women. Barriers to its development include the presence of highly variable surface antigens that lead to non-specific and often insufficient immunity as well as the lack of our understanding of bacterial antigens expressed during human mucosal disease.The long-term goal of Dr. Genco’s work is to develop a vaccine to treat sexually transmitted infections with emphasis on prevention of secondary complications in women.