The goal of the Molecular Pathogenesis Section (MPS) is to increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of emerging respiratory viruses on every level, from host to molecule. We study the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, Nipah virus, and the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus in animal models and human lung and brain organoids.

Molecular Pathogenesis Section, 2025. Left to right: Tessa Lutterman, B.S.; Bridget Brackney, B.S.; Meaghan Flagg, Ph.D.; Gayatri Subramanian, Ph.D.; Brandi Williamson, M.P.H.; Kerry Goldin, DVM; Emmie de Wit, Ph.D.; Johan Ortiz-Morales, B.S.; Christopher Winski, Ph.D.
Emmie de Wit, Ph.D.
Senior Investigator, Molecular Pathogenesis Section
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Education:
Ph.D., Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands

Bridget G. Brackney, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Education:
B.S., Brigham Young University – Idaho, Rexburg, ID
Meaghan Flagg, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral IRTA Fellow
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Education:
Ph.D., Harvard University

Kerry Goldin, DVM
Graduate Student
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Education:
St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg, FL
University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

Tessa Lutterman, B.Sc.
Lab Technician
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Education:
B.Sc., Allegheny College, PA
Languages Spoken: German

Johan A. Ortiz-Morales, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Education:
B.S., Universidad Ana G Mendez, Carolina, Puerto Rico
Languages Spoken: Spanish

Gayatri Subramanian, Ph.D.
Research Fellow
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Education:
Ph.D., University of Toledo, OH
Languages Spoken: Hindi, Tamil

Brandi Williamson, M.P.H.
Microbiologist
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Education:
M.P.H., University of California, Berkeley
Languages Spoken: German

Christopher Winski, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral IRTA Fellow
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Education:
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
B.S., University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX

Former Research Group Members
Katherine Kaul, Postbac IRTA
Lizzette Pérez-Pérez, Postbac IRTA
Beniah Brumbaugh, Postbac IRTA
Reinaldo Mercado-Hernandez, Postbac IRTA
Manmeet Singh, PhD, Postdoc IRTA