Pathology Research Track Resident Selected for New Translational Training Program Fellowship

Lauren McVoy, M.D., Ph.D., a 2nd-year resident in the Clinical Pathology/Research Track and a Chief Pathology Resident is one of the first recipients of the inaugural Physician-Scientist Training Program or PSTP fellowship established at NYU Langone Medical Center. Dr. McVoy was selected for an Intra-Residency or Fellowship by the PSTP Committee on the basis of her promising interdisciplinary work as a specialized research track resident. Residents in the research track offered by the NYU Department of Pathology prepare for a career in experimental pathology by developing independent investigative skills in combination with diagnostic competency. The competitive PSTP fellowship adds at least one funded year to the period required for Board eligibility, so that clinical trainees can devote a minimum of 18 months to uninterrupted research with at least 90% protected time for research. The Physician-Scientist Training Program fellowship is intended to increase the cadre of translational researchers at NYU and allow for interdisciplinary approaches involving its faculty members while enhancing their productivity. Dr. McVoy's clinical interests are in microbiology. For her research, she plans to focus on in vivo analyses of antigen presentation and CD4⁺ effector T cell activation in mice infected with M. tuberculosis under the mentorship of Dr. Joel Ernst, the Jeffrey Bergstein Professor of Medicine and Professor of Pathology and Microbiology. The Ernst Laboratory was the first to characterize a T cell receptor transgenic mouse with specificity for a peptide antigen of M. tuberculosis and continues to lead the field in studies of antigen-specific CD4⁺ T cell activation and immune evasion in tuberculosis.