Ursula Buchholz
Bio
Dr. Buchholz leads the RNA Viruses Section (RVS) of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland. Her lab studies the molecular virology, pathogenesis, and immune response of RSV, human metapneumovirus, and parainfluenza viruses. These respiratory pathogens are associated with a major burden of disease in young infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. A primary aim of the RNA Viruses Section is to develop live-attenuated pediatric respiratory virus vaccines, translating and applying insights from basic molecular virology studies to vaccine development.
Dr. Buchholz began working on RSV during her postdoctoral fellowship at the Federal Research Center for Virus Diseases of Animals, Germany, and became a tenured PI there, leading a lab that worked on RSV and parainfluenza viruses. In 2002, she joined Peter Collins' lab, NIAID, NIH, focusing on molecular virology and translational studies of human respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus. Dr. Buchholz became chief of the RNA Viruses Section in 2020, continuing the development of live-attenuated pediatric RSV and parainfluenza virus vaccines using reverse genetics.
