David O'Connor
Credentials: PhD
Position title: Professor
Email: dhoconno@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 890-0845
Address:
University Research Park
555 Science Dr
Madison, WI 53711
Focus Groups
Immunology/Immunopathology
Education
PhD, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Research Summary
Interactions between host genetics, cellular immunity, and viral pathogenesis.
Research Detail
The overarching goal of Dave O’Connor’s lab is to contribute meaningfully to the global response to viral infections impacting human health. Along with Marc Johnson and Shelby O’Connor, I lead Lungfish, a program to collect innovative samples including wastewater and air to understand how pathogens spread through time and space. We and our partners gather samples from around the world and test them for pathogens using molecular assays such as PCR and sequencing. Long-term, we believe this will provide an affordable way for low-and-medium income countries to strengthen their public health systems, provide early warning when new pathogens arrive in communities, and create “pathogen weather forecasts” that make people safer and healthier.